Angel Of Corruption Outtakes
by Bower-Of-Bliss
Summary: Kate - She's the girl you'll love to hate. What really goes on when Bella isn't around? A series of out-takes written mainly from Kate's POV for the story 'Angel Of Corruption' written by Drowning in Chaos.
1. Discordia

**A/N - This is an out-take of chapter seven from "Angel Of Corruption" ****written by Drowning in Chaos (previously known as 'Ferla V' and '********Life In The Shape Of A Girl**). The story has been pulled for major revamping. 

**This was the first time I wrote anything fictional, so please be gentle with me. **

**Many thanks to Chaz for encouraging me to write some out-takes, for allowing me to beta AOC and permitting me to have some input regarding its plot and characters. **

**Thank you to KatKennedy for her Beta skills on this chapter and for giving me my first experience in this fandom as a Beta for her stories.**

**Stephenie Meyer and Summit own all things Twilight. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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**Discordia**

Kate POV

Monday Morning

Monday mornings never held much appeal to me ... that is, up until recently. These days, I find I'm counting down the hours and minutes until Monday morning arrives. Nine o'clock on Monday mornings to be precise. Where I once faced Mondays with a sense of dread, as most students who party hard on the weekends do, I now look forward to them with a giddy expectation. The reason for this change of attitude is all down to a gorgeous male specimen who is expected to arrive any minute, and his name is Edward Cullen.

Edward is my lab partner in my Biotechnology class, and he is, without a doubt, the hottest looking piece of man-meat I have ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. He's tall, good looking, well dressed and has an ass that is begging to be bitten. His perma-stubble and sex hair makes him look like he just rolled out of bed after a weekend of marathon fucking. And the eyes, did I mention Edward's eyes yet?

_Fuck. Me. Eyes …_ even when he is wearing his reading glasses.

I crave the time I get to spend in his presence on Monday mornings and Friday afternoons. Usually I'm a nervous mess in the minutes before Edward strides through the doorway of the science lab. My heart literally gallops in my chest, and my skin tingles with anticipation. I know the moment he appears, I will feel a warm rush circulate through my veins.

Whenever Edward sits next to me, the scent of his cologne is like an aphrodisiac, and it makes me want to straddle his lap and bury my face into his chest ... and then perhaps bury my face elsewhere lower down on his anatomy. Biotech classes are the highlight of my week when I can just gaze at his perfection up close, and fantasize about all of the lascivious things I'd do to him on top of our lab table if the opportunity ever presented itself. Edward "fuck-me-eyes" Cullen is like a drug to me.

There is, however, a problem. Edward seems to be altogether ignorant of the fact that I have been flirting with him for the past six months. I could have my choice of just about any guy on this campus, and I'm never lonely for company. I even have some of my professors wrapped around my little finger. I'm blond, tall, tan and taut. I'm hot, and I know it. Guys frequently compliment me on the way I look in the small hope that I will pay them some attention in return.

Edward though is an enigma. He never comments on the way I look and hardly even looks at me. Initially, most guys I meet can barely raise their eyes to meet my face, seemingly dazzled by my breasts, though I can't say I honestly blame them. I do have a spectacular rack; it was money well spent. Some girls get a car as a twenty-first birthday gift. I wanted bigger boobs instead, and thanks to my mom, who post-divorce became a desperate cougar trying to please the twenty-something cub in her life, we shared a mother-daughter bonding experience in cosmetic surgery.

Last year I was a "barely boobs" B-Cup, who returned at the beginning of this year as a "double dang" DD-Cup, but sadly "my girls" seem to have escaped Edward's notice. I don't take it personally though. Edward, it seems, is politely aloof and utterly oblivious to the vast majority of the female population on campus, who have virtually been throwing themselves at him, since he transferred here. I'm starting to suspect that the reason for his disinterest in women is because he's batting for the other team, if you know what I mean...

_Such a shame._

It is five minutes before the lecture is due to start, and I see Edward arrive along with Professor Greenwood. He saunters up to the front of the classroom, and I watch him as he is speaking privately with the professor. While Edward is turned away from me, I take the opportunity to admire his ass, thighs and forearms. I swear to God, I may need to check myself for drool. Today he is wearing tight denim jeans and a green colored shirt, untucked, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

As I see their conversation ending, I look down and quickly release another button at the top of my blouse to expose a bit more cleavage. I know I said I have a feeling that Edward's probably gay; but what the hell ... a girl can still have hope, right? Edward turns and makes his way over to our lab table. As he comes closer, I note that his tousled hair is still slightly damp, and the sexy stubble that he usually sports, is gone.

"Good morning," I say cheerfully, giving him what I hope is a sexy smile as he arrives at our table. He gives me a slight nod of acknowledgement, drops his bag onto the table and seats himself on the stool to the left of me. I'm watching him as he is removing writing pads and text books from the bag, when he suddenly stops and stifles a yawn with the back of his hand.

"Looks like someone didn't get enough sleep. Have a busy weekend, did we?" I ask, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, sort of," he mutters, and goes back to take out some pens and his glasses from the bag, before tossing it down to the floor between us.

"So ... what were you doing on the weekend that has you looking so exhausted this morning?"

"I was ... er … working ... helping out a friend of a friend." He looks away from me and then looks down to the writing pad in front of him. I notice he's grinning away to himself like the proverbial cat that ate the canary.

"What sort of work do you do?" I ask, intrigued.

"Um ... I don't think I -" His answer is interrupted by Professor Greenwood calling for students to take their seats so that he can commence the lecture. For the rest of the morning, I'm unable to continue my conversation with Edward as Professor Greenwood spends the two hour session lecturing us on Advances in Biological Wound Dressings.

Ten minutes from the end of the lesson, I feel my iPhone vibrate discretely in my back pocket. I surreptitiously pull out the phone and view the text message using the lab table as a barrier to hide it from the Professor's line of sight. It's a message from my best friend, Jess. Apparently, she's working an afternoon shift today. She's waiting outside the classroom for me and says she wants to take me out to an early lunch before work. She also asks how my date with 'Donkey Dick' Demetri went Saturday night. I smirk and think about typing out a smart-ass reply, when the professor calls my name to answer a question. I'm startled, and the phone slips out of my hand and falls to the ground, thankfully landing on top of Edward's bag instead of crashing onto the floor. I look over at Edward, who just rolls his eyes at me, and then I look up at the professor.

"Well, Miss Curtis?" the professor asks, expectantly.

"Pa- pardon?" I stutter in embarrassment. "Could you please repeat the question?"

"Miss Curtis, is my class taking up too much of your precious personal time? Maybe we should all just sit here and wait for you to finish your texting?" I hear snickering from a couple of sources around the room.

"I'm sorry, Professor," I say, feeling mortified at being made to look like a fool in front of the other students.

"Mr. Cullen, perhaps you would be so kind as to tell me the answer? From what source did the Fibroblast Cells originate that were used in the manufacture of TransCyte?

"They were cultured from donated human neonatal foreskins," Edward answers, in a voice that is sensual and as smooth as silk. He seems to have an uncanny knack at making anything he voices sound sexy, even a topic such as this one. I briefly start fantasizing about how phone sex with Edward would be mind-blowing when the professor starts berating me again.

"Thank you, Mr. Cullen. You are absolutely correct. Miss Curtis, maybe if you spent more time paying attention to the lecture and less time organizing your hectic social life, you would know what the question was, even if you didn't know the answer! Next time you decide to play with your phone during class please leave the room and don't come back! Okay everybody; please remember to read through sections twenty-five to thirty in your textbook before Friday's lecture. You're dismissed!"

I turn just in time to see Edward extending his right arm down toward his bag. I quickly reach down to grab my iPhone before he can pick it up and see Jessica's _'Donkey Dick_' text. Suddenly, I find I'm overbalancing off the edge of my seat, and I fall onto Edward. I hear Edward yelp in pain and realize that we have become bizarrely entangled. His sex-hair is hooked up in one of the buttons of my blouse, and his face is mashed against my left breast. As he struggles to free himself, I feel his hand brush against my nipple. I let out an audible moan and Edward suddenly sits back, bolt upright, causing his glasses to fall off and tear out several strands of his hair in the process. Fumbling to put on his glasses and rubbing his scalp, he looks at me appearing equally embarrassed and in pain. I bend forward again, making sure to display some cleavage. I manage to pick up my phone, gracefully this time, and put it back into my pocket.

"You know, Edward, you only have to ask me nicely, and I'll be more than happy to let you motorboat your face between my breasts," I tease playfully, and then look down at my blouse to start unwinding the loose strands of his hair from around my button. I look back up at Edward, smiling, but the look on his face tells me that my little risqué joke has gone right over his head.

Now he's looking at me as if I'm downright insane. He quickly packs his bag and then hurries out of the class.

"Such a shame," I mutter to myself as I pack my own bag.

~x~x~x~

I walk out of the science lab and find Jess waiting out in the corridor for me. Walking over to her, she greets me in her usual manner.

"How's it going, whore?" She gives me a friendly hug.

"Nice to see you too, skank," I respond with affection. We turn in the direction of the lockers, so I can stow my books away.

"Hey, the guy who just came barreling out of the class like his ass was on fire, the one wearing the dark green shirt and glasses, is that _'The Edward_' you are always gushing about?"

"Yeah, that's the one, but as of today I'm giving him up as a lost cause. I just had the guy's face in my tits, and he wasn't even remotely interested. I had my suspicions before, but now I'm definitely convinced he's a pillow biter." At this remark, Jess starts laughing.

"Thank you so much for mocking me in my time of mourning, Jess." I pout, as I shove my books into the locker.

"Come on, hun. Let's go to lunch and you can tell me all about it."

~x~x~x~

"So how was your date with Demetri on Saturday night?" Jess asks, once we have seated ourselves into one of the booths of the café with our sandwiches and coffee.

"Not bad," I reply. "We went back to his place after the movie, but I didn't stay overnight. He's great in the sack and all, but his limited English makes for less than stellar conversation afterwards."

"Well, I assure you that you'll be absolutely kicking yourself that you blew off Bella's twenty-first party for Donkey Dick when I tell you about what you missed," Jess says in a teasing tone.

"What was so awesome about Bella's party? It was an all-chick-no-dick party wasn't it?" Again Jess bursts into laughter.

"Obviously you haven't checked Facebook and seen the pictures then?"

"I'm pretty sure I told you that I deactivated my Facebook account about a month ago. Remember I told you about how that stupid psycho-bitch Siobhan was cyber-stalking me? It turns out it was all because I slept with that Liam guy she was hung up on. Honestly, I thought I was doing her a favor by warning her about what a lousy lay he turned out to be. She should have been pinning a damn medal on my chest for '_taking one for the team_', rather than experiencing that shit for herself. So no, obviously I haven't seen any pictures on Facebook."

"Oh, honey, I am so going to make your day."

Jess is grinning like a Cheshire cat as she reaches into her handbag and pulls out her Blackberry. I watch as she presses some buttons to access Facebook. Jess turns the screen around triumphantly, and I'm suddenly gob-smacked by the image she's showing me.

Oh. My. Fucking. God! I think my jaw dropped down so far that I may have just dislocated it.

There in glorious color is a picture of Edward Cullen wearing nothing but black underwear, and his skin is glistening with what appears to be baby oil.

Kneeling on the floor in front of him is the birthday girl, Bella Swan. Edward's hands are covering hers, as she appears to be in the process of moving his underwear down past his hips. Bella's face is about an inch away from The Holy Land that is Edward's cock, and he is gazing down at her with his fuck-me-eyes stare at full force.

"Keep scrolling, there are tons more pictures," Jess encourages. "Angela Weber posted all the pics on her Facebook page last night."

I scroll through the pictures, and I can't believe what I am seeing. Images of Edward straddling or sitting on the laps of some of my friends; pictures of my friends as they are rubbing baby oil over his body and grabbing his ass. There is one photo where Edward's head is in between Bella's thighs, and she looks surprised but pleased. Looking at the pictures, I am literally turning into a puddle of goo. Edward is the epitome of sex-on-legs. I'd fantasized about what his body might look like naked, but the reality put all my fantasies to shame.

It was the last two pictures, however, that positively floored me. In the first picture, it appeared that Bella's head was at groin level, hidden underneath a small towel that was wrapped around Edward's waist. On second glance, I notice that the black underwear he'd been wearing in the other photos was on the floor, around his ankles.

_Surely, he must have had a G-string or something on under there? _

The last picture showed Edward from the side with Bella clasped in his arms, her back pressed firmly to the front of his body. The back of the towel that Edward had around him in the previous picture, had dropped away, and it showed that his perfect ass was, in fact, completely bare - No G-string!

_What ... The ... Fuck! _

I scroll through all the pictures a second time and then reluctantly pass the Blackberry back to Jess. I've been rendered speechless. Edward Cullen's ... A stripper?

"So ... do you still think he's gay?" Jess smirks at me.

"Uh ..." I have no words.

"Do you want to know what else happened? Apparently, after the party ended, he went back to Bella's place, after he finished work."

"What? How do you know that?" I ask.

"Mike, the guy he was working with on Saturday night, rang me yesterday to ask if I wanted to go on a date tomorrow night, and he happened to mention it."

"Why did he go back? Did he forget something?" I ask, hoping against hope that it was for purely innocent reasons. Jess starts laughing at me again, and I am starting to feel a bit sick and tired of being made fun of today. I give Jess the bitch-brow look which sends her the message that I want her to shut the fuck up.

"Oh, Katie, sweetie. I think you know what he went back for. You saw the photos, right?"

_Oh great! Jess has gone from laughing at my expense to fucking speaking to me in a condescending manner. If she keeps it up at this rate, I'm going to dump my scalding hot coffee into her lap and walk out of here. _

We continue eating in silence for a few minutes when I suddenly have an epiphany as to why Edward would go back to Bella's after the show.

"So are you telling me that not only is Edward a stripper, he's also an Escort for hire?" My stomach churns when I recall Edward looking so exhausted in Biotech class this morning and remember that he gave 'work' as his excuse for being tired.

_It's no wonder he goes around looking as though he's been freshly fucked all the time. _

Suddenly, it's all starting to make sense to me...well, apart from his shocked reaction to touching my boobs.

"I have no idea if he is or isn't. I only know what Mike told me, and it wasn't much. I'm pretty sure that Mike isn't an Escort. I mean ... Mike asked for my number and called me for a date, not the other way around, right? Because if we end up having sex tomorrow night, and he tells me to pay up afterwards, I think I will have to kick him in the balls," Jess jokes. "Speaking of parties, if you are coming to Tanya's farewell party on Saturday night, I need a ride."

"Um ... yeah, sure, no problem," I reply vaguely, my mind busy elsewhere.

About three things, I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was not gay.

Second, Edward works as a stripper, and there is a strong possibility that he also works as a Male Escort.

And third, tonight I'm going to reactivate my Facebook account and send a friend invite to Angela Weber."

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**A/N 2 - Discordia = The Roman goddess of discord and strife.**

**TransCyte™ is an actual product used in the treatment of burn injuries. Google it if you are curious and have a strong stomach.**

**B-o-B** **xxx**

**Go ahead ... make my day and click**

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**V**


	2. Laverna

**A/N - This is an out-take of chapter 8 from "Angel Of Corruption" ****written by Drowning in Chaos **

**I take no responsibility for the opinions or actions of this character. **

**Thank you to those of you who took the time to leave reviews for the last chapter.  
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**Laverna**

Kate POV

Friday Afternoon

Today couldn't come fast enough. All week I've been staring at the photos of Edward that I copied from Angela's Facebook page. Now, even more than ever, I am anxious for Edward to come through the door of the science lab. I'm literally squirming in my seat wondering where he is. He's usually never this late to class. Professor Greenwood walks to the back of the room and informs us that we will be watching an instructional presentation on a wound regeneration product. He is setting up a laptop computer that is attached to the electronic white board on the back wall, therefore, forcing us to turn around on our stools. The professor turns off the lights, and presses play. The DVD ROM starts...

_"Integra Bilayer Matrix Wound Dressing is an advanced wound care device comprised of a porous matrix of cross-linked bovine tendon collagen and glycosaminoglycan and a semi-permeable polysiloxane. The semi-permeable silicone membrane controls water vapor loss, provides a flexible adherent covering for the wound surface... blah blah blah blah," _the DVD drones on_._

Disappointment starts to overtake me as I conclude that Edward is going to be a no-show in class today, so I resign myself to concentrating on the screen. Ten minutes into the presentation, Edward walks through the doorway of the lab. He walks up to Professor Greenwood's desk, carrying some large specimen containers that have something floating in them.

"Here you go, Professor," Edward says quietly, placing the containers on the desk.

"Thank you for getting them for me, Edward. Did you have much trouble finding the Burns Center?"

"No, I knew where it was. My dad used to work at that hospital in the ER years ago. I'm late because the Nurse-In-Charge was really busy with an emergency, so I had to wait for her to become available to give me the expired stock of Integra."

"Okay, well just take your seat and watch the rest of the presentation. You can borrow the DVD and watch what you missed either at home or in the library. Just be sure to return it to me by the end of next week."

"Sure thing," Edward replies, and makes his way over to our lab table.

Edward sits down and then slouches back on his stool, leaning both of his elbows back onto the table behind him. His long, denim clad legs are stretched out in front of him, crossed at the ankles. Looking at him in this semi-reclined position makes my mind instantly race to the gutter. I then recall the erotic dream I'd had two nights ago about Edward and me in this very room.

_We were the only two people in the classroom. I could feel the electricity between us as we sat side by side and watched a presentation that neither one of us was remotely interested in. _

_Suddenly, the images projected on the white screen flickered and became confused, jumpy and blurred. When the image cleared and came into focus again, I discovered that the medical presentation that we had been watching had been replaced by pornographic images. It was a porno movie showing a dozen or so people having hardcore sex. There were couples, threesomes, black on white, girl on girl and guy on guy. It was an orgy. I'd gasped in shock and turned to look around the classroom to see who had changed the DVD. _

_I then looked at Edward, confused, and all I could see was a remote control in his hand and a look of hunger in his eyes. Our eyes then locked. Apart from Edward's intense gaze, the only other thing I was aware of in the room, was the sound of the porno actors on the screen as they panted, moaned, writhed, fucked and screamed in ecstasy. Abruptly, the sounds stopped, and Edward turned to face the screen again. _

_The only sound left in the room was that of my own accelerated breathing, until Edward said_ _in a husky voice, "Watch this next part, Kate. It's my favorite part of the whole movie."_

_I had turned to face the screen again and watched the scene before me change. It was the two of us, up there on the seventy-seven inch screen, and I watched the scene unfold. Edward portrayed the part of a professor and I was his student. I'd been called into his office, and he was waiting for me behind his desk when I entered the room. I was both fascinated and turned on by how spectacular we looked, up there on the screen._

_"I called you in here because you're failing, Miss Curtis. If you don't smarten up you won't graduate, and you'll have to repeat my class next year."_

_"Professor Cullen, I'll do anything to make you change my grade," the screen version of me had begged._

_"Anything?" he inquired with a raised eyebrow._

_"Yes, Sir. Absolutely, anything." _

_"Very well. Shut the door behind you and lock it," Professor Cullen commanded._

_As I continued to watch us play 'teacher and student' on the screen, I could feel that Edward had moved to stand behind me. His hands were on my waist and urged me to stand up. _

_I stood up straight and in that instant, I felt his hard, hot body press in against the back of my own. His hands reached around and deftly undid the buttons of my blouse, and I moaned when his hands had encountered the skin beneath the cups of my bra. He started roughly palming and pinching my breasts, and I could feel the evidence of his arousal as he ground his pelvis into my lower back._

_"You think I haven't noticed you, Kate? You're always staring at me; always teasing me, sitting next to me, wearing your low cut blouses and your tight, short skirts. If you're going to be a cock tease, Kate, then I'll show you what a fucking cock tease deserves. I'm going to teach you a lesson you will never forget," he whispered seductively in my ear before biting my earlobe, causing me to shiver with desire._

_He then grabbed the hem of my skirt and yanked it up around my waist, exposing my tiny, black thong and the lace tops of the thigh-high stockings I was wearing. Gripping the fabric, he pulled my panties down so hard they ripped at the sides._

_"These are now mine," he stated, pocketing my ruined underwear, "and so are you". Placing a hand between my shoulder blades he pushed me down, bending me over the lab table. "Grab hold of the table." It wasn't a request. It was an order. "I'm going to fuck you while we watch ourselves up there on the screen."_

_As I gripped onto the edge of the table, I heard his zip undo and his pants being pulled down. He moved them down his hips just far enough to enable him to free himself from the prison of his black boxer briefs. Using his feet he kicked the insides of my peep-toe heels, causing me to widen my stance. As he pressed his impressive cock into my heated flesh, I felt his hands grip the skin of my hips so painfully hard, that I just knew they were going to leave marks..._

Without realizing the presentation has ended, the professor disrupts my fantasies by turning the lights on. I hear Edward clear his throat as if to get my attention. I look up, guiltily realizing that he's caught me staring intently at the crotch of his jeans. _Oh Shit! Busted. _He glares at me, looking seven shades of pissed off and then turns in his seat to face the front of the room.

_Fucking hypocrite! Maybe I should shove some dollar bills down the front of his pants and see if his pissy attitude changes. _

For the rest of the session, the class discusses Integra and prepares slides to examine cross-sections of the product under the microscope. Edward doesn't speak to me at all, and it pisses me off. At the end of the session, I watch as he packs his books into his bag.

"Edward," I say quietly. He only glances at me sideways to acknowledge that he has even heard me speak, so I lean towards him, bringing my mouth closer to his ear. He starts to shy away, but I grab a firm hold of his shoulder. I grip his white shirt in my fist and whisper, "I know what you are." He pulls back slightly and looks at me, confused and annoyed.

I lean in again to speak. "Don't play games, Edward. You think you have everyone here fooled with this whole '_Clark Kent_' persona you've been portraying?" I push his glasses higher up along his nose, then run my index finger down the left side of his face, neck and chest, fully intending on making my way further down so I can feel the indentations of his muscular abs, but instead he flinches away, and I lose my hold on his shirt. "I must say that the glasses, the shy and studious geek attitude ... it's quite a clever disguise, but I know what you really are. You've been keeping a secret ... _Naughty Angel_."

Realization crosses his face, followed by a look of shock, fear, and then finally anger.

"Who fucking told you!" he hisses at me. His face is livid with rage. A vein, that I'm sure I've never noticed before, appears to stand out, running down the centre of his forehead. In that moment, I see a side of him that instantly turns me on; like I needed another excuse. Angry Edward is ... _HOT_!

"Facebook." I smirk in triumph. Edward turns back to his bag and begins carelessly stuffing his books and paperwork into it; clearly he's mad as hell. He hurriedly grabs his bag by the straps and tosses it over his shoulder, not even bothering to zip it closed. He casts one more scowl at me and storms out of the room. As I watch his hastily retreating form, I see something small and shiny fall out of his bag without his notice. I quickly walk over and pick it up. I make my way out into the corridor to see if I can still see Edward, but he is nowhere to be found, so I slip it into my bag. I figure that he will just have to wait until I can give it back to him on Monday morning.

Maybe he will have calmed down by then.

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**A/N 2 - Laverna = Goddess of unlawful gain and trickery.**

**Integra™ Dermal Regeneration Template is an actual product used in the treatment of acute burn injuries and burn scar reconstruction. Google it if you are curious and have a strong stomach.**

**B-o-B xxx**


	3. Invidia

**A/N - This is an out-take of chapter 9 from "Angel Of Corruption" ****written by Drowning in Chaos**

**Thank you to those of you who read the previous chapters and took the time to leave a review. **

**Thank you to KatKennedy for her Beta skills on this chapter and for giving me my first experience in this fandom as a Beta for her stories.  
**

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**Invidia**

Kate POV

Saturday Evening

"Move your ass and get in the fucking car, or we're going to be late!" I yell out the car window. I swear to God if Jess goes back into her apartment for one more thing, she'll be walking to the damn party.

In truth, I'm not that excited to be going. It's a party for Tanya Denali, hosted by her mom. Don't get me wrong, I love Tanya like a sister. She is a lovely girl who deserves everything good that's coming to her. Tanya just got her big break in modeling and will be heading off to live in New York to become the face of some new cosmetics company, the name of which always escapes me. In many ways, I am envious, but I will also be sad to see her go ... but that isn't what is bothering me about tonight. The main reason why I don't want to go is Tanya's mom, Irina.

Five years ago, Benito Denali, Tanya's dad, died at age sixty. Irina is forty-one years old and has, for the last five years, been going through a major mid-life crisis. In her attempt to recapture her youth, Irina has had so many plastic surgeries performed on her body that there probably isn't an inch of skin or fat left on her that hasn't been nipped, tucked, sucked, lifted, lasered, plumped by collagen or paralyzed by Botox. In a futile attempt to look like her daughter, Irina now looks like a freaky blow-up-doll with platinum blonde hair extensions. Her behavior is also just downright embarrassing. Irina has been trying to ingratiate herself into her daughter's social life by trying to befriend her friends. It's just creepy. On one or two occasions, it's been rumored that she even propositioned a couple of Tanya's ex-boyfriends, suggesting threesomes and some other freaky shit that sent them packing. To be honest, I think it will be a huge relief for Tanya to move so far away from her mom and regain her own identity.

Jess finally throws a bag into the back seat, jumps into the front passenger seat, and closes the door. "Okay, I think I've got everything now." Jess lets out a big sigh and then looks at me with a mischievous grin. "Tonight is going to be brilliant."

"You're kidding me, right?" I say, unenthusiastically, while backing the car out of the driveway. "We're saying goodbye to one of our best friends, and we have to put up with her mom, '_Desperate Denali_', for the entire evening."

"You'll see," she says cryptically in a sing-song voice and then wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"So, how was your date Tuesday night with _what's-his-face_?" I ask, trying to change the subject as I pull out into traffic.

"Oh, you mean my date with Mike? Complete fail. He took me out to dinner, and then we went back to his place. It turns out that the guy lives like a pig. Just trying to find somewhere clean to sit down in his apartment was like choosing fate between needing a Tetanus or Penicillin shot. To make matters worse, the sex was horrible. His dick was tiny, like Tater-Tot tiny, and I swear the guy couldn't find a clit with a map, compass, GPS or tour guide. I ended up having to fake getting myself off. I was so desperate to get out of there I caught a bus home, as soon as he fell asleep."

I look over at her in astonishment, not sure what to say. Her straight-faced demeanor lasts for all of ten seconds before she bursts out laughing, and I realize then that she's fucking with me.

"You know what? You really suck, Jess. I hate you so much." I pout while trying to keep a straight face. We both burst out into laughter.

"Yeah, well lighten the fuck up. It's time to party. I promise you it'll be fun."

~x~x~x~

After driving for an hour, Jess and I finally arrive at our destination. Tanya's mom is hosting the party on a one-hundred and thirty foot, luxury motor yacht called 'Sojourn' that is moored at the marina. Tomorrow morning the yacht is being chartered to head along the coast for a week-long cruise so the Denali's can visit friends and relatives along the way before Tanya leaves for New York.

Coming to the end of the gangplank we are greeted by a blonde haired waiter holding a tray of tall glasses filled with champagne.

"Can I offer you beautiful ladies some champagne?" the waiter asks while giving us both an appreciative leer.

Jess and I each take one and made our way through to the aft deck where it seems most of the party goers have congregated. We are greeted with hugs and kisses by friends and acquaintances, as soon as we join the group. Tanya spies us and shrieks with excitement.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! You fucking made it! I'm so glad to see you both!" Tanya pulls us both into a suffocating three-way hug and rocks us side to side with her six foot frame.

"Ummmmphf. Breathing ... becoming ... an issue," I gasp, and then laugh as Tanya releases us, steps back, and looks at us sheepishly.

"It's just that I'm going to miss you two so fucking much. We've been inseparable from the time we were five years old, and now I'm flying out to live on the other side of the country. I'm excited, but also really scared. My emotions are all over the place right now. I keep thinking that maybe I'm making the wrong decision by moving so far away from everything and everyone I know." Tanya's eyes are brimming with tears.

"Tanya, this is a huge opportunity for you, and you'd be insane to pass it up," Jess says soothingly. I'm about to add my platitudes to Tanya, because really, she should be fucking ecstatic to get away from her mom, when I hear the very voice I've been dreading. The voice that is like nails down a blackboard, and it makes my skin want to crawl.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! My girls are here! Come and give me some love, bitches!"

_Urgh. Please ... just kill me now._

I turn around and have to stop myself from either gasping in horror or laughing out loud. Since I last saw her, Irina obviously found someone within the medical fraternity to willingly risk his reputation and give her the liquid silicone injections she wanted. Her lips look hideously deformed in a Pete Burns meets Daffy Duck kind of way. They are coated in a Pepto-Bismol pink, wet-look lip gloss and they now resemble molten wax lips. As she leans in toward me, I strategically position myself so that Irina only manages to give me an air kiss. Jess, however, is not so fortunate, and I see her visibly shudder as Irina's slimy lips make contact with the corner of her mouth. Jess looks like she wants to hurl. I give her an unsympathetic smirk as I reach into my clutch purse and pass her a Kleenex, subtly hinting that she's been marked by the beast.

Standing beside Irina is an older man looking on expectantly. I'm thinking that the guy must either have shares in a spray tanning salon or liver failure. On second thought, I think he actually might be an Oompa-Loompa, because he's quite short and his skin is so orange. Grabbing a hold of the man's shoulder, Irina pulls him into her side. Tanya politely excuses herself and leaves to greet a new guest who has appeared at the door of the main salon.

"Girls, I want to introduce you to Doctor Felix Cooper, my fiancé. Felix, this is Jessica and this is Kate, and they are very good friends of mine and Tanya's."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," says Felix.

Felix steps forward and gives Jessica a one armed hug and small kiss on the cheek. He then turns towards me and also gives me a hug, and ... _Oh whoa! No way Mr. Handsy!_ I hastily step back to extricate myself from his embrace. _I can't believe the guy just fucking groped my ass!_ Jess is now the one who is smirking, having witnessed Felix's one-handed squeeze of my butt cheeks.

"Congratulations to the both of you! So how did you two meet?" Jess asks of the two freaks standing in front of us.

"Felix is a Cosmetic Surgeon. We met during a consult, and it became so much more ... if you know what I mean?" Irina winks at me and then gives Felix a passionate, open-mouthed kiss with her trout pout.

_Oh dear God in Heaven ... if you are real and love the human race ..., please don't ever let these two weirdo's breed ... Amen!_

I quickly gulp down my champagne and scan around for the nearest exits while 'Desperate Denali' and 'Feel-Me-Up' Felix are distracted by each other.

"Oh, look at that! It seems that I need a refill. We'll see you two around." I roughly grab Jess by the wrist, and we hastily make our way back inside.

We walk through the main salon to find the sky lounge where the wet bar is located. One of the crew members there takes our drink orders, and we seat ourselves on the bar-stools while we wait. I take the opportunity to look around the sky lounge, appreciating the luxurious interior decor, while Jess makes polite conversation at the bar with the girl mixing our cocktails.

From the corner of my eye, I notice the door to the powder room open and see a guy with dark-blonde, beach-style, shoulder length hair, backing out of the doorway. He is wearing a white v-neck t-shirt, faded blue jeans and black boots. _WOW! Nice ass!_

He turns around and I can see he is holding a cardboard box under his left arm, balancing it on his hip. The box is filled with electrical cables and some colored lights. Through the tight, well-worn material of his t-shirt I can just make out the outline shape of his pecs, and his biceps are testing the limits of the stretch fabric. I feel the drool start to pool in my mouth.

He is looking down into the box, distracted, and his long hair covers his eyes so that he doesn't immediately see us. When he straightens up and runs his fingers back through his hair, I am met with the bluest eyes I've ever seen. In that instant, everything within my body screams, "_MINE_!" Jess turns around and sees the Adonis walking farther into the room. Their eyes make contact and the beautiful man's face breaks into a smile. My brain screams, "_NO! NOT HER!_"

"Hello, gorgeous girl. How long have you been here?" he asks, and walks over and plants a quick kiss on Jessica's mouth.

_Oh fucking hell!_ Of course, it's just typical of my fucked up luck that he and Jess would know each other.

"Hello yourself, sexy boy," Jess purrs. "We've only been here for about ten minutes. Mike, I want you to meet my best friend, Kate. Remember I told you about her on Tuesday night? Kate, this is Mike Newton." He takes my right hand and shakes it in greeting.

_So this is Mike_. Mike, who is apparently a fuck-hot looking stripper. No wonder Jess was holding out on the details when we spoke earlier about her date. With his hand in mine, my eyes roam from where we are joined, along his manly forearms and up to his biceps. _Hello biceps, I think I want to lick you_.

"Hey. Nice to meet you," Mike says giving me a friendly smile before releasing my hand. I want to cry at the loss of our skin to skin contact.

"So what are you doing here?" I ask, confused. I cast an annoyed glance at Jess and then look back to Mike. "Jess didn't mention she was inviting a date tonight."

"Well technically it's not a date, although I hope she will come home with me tonight after the show?" He raises his eyebrows in question at her, and Jess nods enthusiastically. "I'm actually here helping out with the entertainment."

"Entertainment? Are you stripping tonight?" _Oh goody!_

"No, I'm just helping with the technical aspects. You know, setting up the lighting, props and managing the play list. Edward's been booked for this gig."

_No fucking way! Oh my God!_ I can't believe what I'm hearing. _I'll get to see Edward strip!_ I can already feel my heart rate speed up, and my skin begins to flush in anticipation. Mike puts the box he's holding on top of the bar and starts searching through it again.

While Mike is preoccupied with the contents of the box, Jess leans over and whispers in my ear, "I told you that tonight would be fun." She leans back and gives me a wink. Our cocktails are ready and the girl at the bar hands them to us.

"Did you have something to do with this?"

Jess leans in close again. "After our lunch on Monday, I phoned Irina and suggested that we needed some entertainment for tonight, and that I would be happy to make the arrangements." Jess leans back and gives me a wide grin.

"Hey! Speak of the Devil and he appears. Edward, we're over here, man." Mike shouts and waves toward the doorway. Edward walks toward us and tosses some car keys to Mike, who catches them one-handed in mid-air.

"I can't believe that you ate my fucking props, asshole. Now I'll have to make do without them because I couldn't find anywhere around here, at this time of the night, that sells donuts. By the way, you'll need to stop for gas on the way home because your tank is ... "I turn around, and I know the instant that Edward sees me because his face turns from happy and relaxed to tense and irritated. My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach knowing that I seem to have this affect on him. "What are you doing here?" he asks, tersely.

Self-preservation kicks in and anger starts to take over my feelings of self-pity. "I'm an invited guest. This party is in honor of one of my very best friends," I sneer. "No one is paying _me _to be here."

"Mike, can I speak with you for a minute? In private." Edward gestures with a glance and a sideways nod for Mike to follow him into the main salon. Mike picks up the box again and walks over to where Edward is now heading.

Jess and I watch as Edward and Mike are speaking in the doorway. Although they are only a few feet away, I can't hear what they are saying over the noise of the music and general chatter going on around us. I slowly sip on my cocktail, realizing that this will need to be my last drink for the night as it now seems that I will be driving myself home tonight, instead of Jess, as we'd previously agreed on. _Traitorous bitch._

I notice that during their conversation, Mike and Edward occasionally look over at us. Finally, Mike seems to nod and Edward looks relieved. They talk for another minute, and Edward pulls out his cell phone to make a call. While on the phone, Edward gives Mike the thumbs up signal. Mike then hands over the box of electrical items to Edward, who then walks into the main salon while still talking on his phone. Mike walks toward us and he is looking at Jess with a mischievous grin on his face.

"Change of plans. I'm going to strip tonight instead of Edward," Mike informs us, and gives Jess a quick kiss. I can tell that Jess is beyond excited by this turn-about of events, but she looks at me with concern and then at Mike with curiosity.

"Why are you doing the gig instead of him?" Jess asks, gesturing with a sideways nod in Edward's direction.

"Edward said he didn't feel comfortable stripping in front of Kate. You never mentioned that they knew each other." He looks at me accusingly. Jess turns and puts both arms up around Mike's shoulders and sinks her fingers into his hair.

"It must have slipped my mind, babe. Because I saw his show at Bella's twenty-first, I already knew Edward was a good stripper. So when I made the booking on Monday, I just asked the receptionist at Eclipse Entertainment for Edward. Also, I didn't know you very well. If I'd booked you instead, and our date on Tuesday had turned out to be a disaster, tonight would have been really awkward for us."

I have to hand it to Jess. If she hadn't implied it to me before that she'd booked Edward for my benefit, I would have totally believed her story, as Mike seemed to. I was now cursing my stupid, big mouth for revealing to Edward yesterday that I knew he was a stripper. I'm sure that his refusal to strip tonight was because he felt threatened by the fact that I'd known about his secret occupation beforehand, and I'd called him out on it.

"Speaking of Bella, Edward just arranged for her to come here and pick him up, so she can take him home after the show instead of me. I'm going to be making a bit more money tonight, now that I'm the one doing the gig, so how about you, and I save ourselves a long drive home and book into a nearby hotel instead?" asks Mike to Jess. Jess nods excitedly in agreement, and they kiss again. "Okay, well I'm going to go to get changed. The show will start in about twenty minutes."

_Did I just hear Mike correctly? Did he really say Bella? Why on Earth would Bella Swan drive out all this way to pick up Edward?_ My mind is spinning.

Once Mike is out of sight, Jess insists we take our drinks and make our way back into the main salon where the show is going to take place. She wants to get a good seat near the front so as not to miss any of the action. The room is already packed with guests, and I look around to see if I can find Edward. He is running electrical cables around the room and connecting strobe lights. I watch, admiring his ass as he ducks and weaves the cables, running them under the furniture around the room and taping them to the floor, obviously to prevent the party-goers, who are steadily getting tipsy, from tripping over them.

At one point, he notices me staring at him and gives me his now familiar scowl that I have come to realize is his '_Kate Face_'. No one else seems to elicit this reaction from him, and I start to wonder if I intimidate him somehow. He finally finishes by taping some cables together and then leaves the room.

"Jesus, Kate. If looks could kill ... what the fuck did you do to that guy to piss him off so much?" Jess clearly noticed his reaction too. I shrug, feigning innocence, but mentally want to kick myself in the head for yesterday's conversation, knowing full well why every time he looks at me, he pulls a face; as if I'd just dropped a shit in his cornflakes or did something else equally offensive.

Thankfully, Tanya reappears before I have to defend myself. She sits next to us and introduces us to one of her friends, a beautiful woman by the name of, Gianna, who is apparently also Tanya's agent. The four of us talk and laugh while waiting for the show to begin.

~x~x~x~

At one point, I divert my attention from the conversation and realize that Edward is again in the room. He is standing along one wall behind a small table with a control board on it. He touched some buttons and the overhead lights begin to dim slightly as a fine mist starts to creep along the floor of the main salon. Strobe lights around the room flare up and flash red, white and blue as the sound of a police siren is blared from speakers hidden around the room. Suddenly, the sound of the siren is replaced by reggae music and the crowd parts as Mike saunters into the room wearing a tight, black policeman's uniform, complete with hat, utility belt and aviator sunglasses. He's twirling a pair of shiny hand-cuffs around his finger as the song begins.

_Bad boys _

_Whatcha want, watcha want _

_Whatcha gonna do? _

The women in the room cheer and whistle at the sight of Mike as he walks farther into the room. He grabs a chair, spins it on one of its legs and then places it in the center of the room. He turns around and scans the faces in the crowd to find the guest of honor. Jessica is gesturing wildly and pointing at Tanya, who seems to want to become invisible at this moment. Mike locks his gaze on Tanya, grins and gives her the come hither signal with his finger, and pats the seat of the chair.

Tanya shakes her head '_no_', and sinks down into her seat, as if this will somehow hide her willowy, six foot form from his notice. Mike walks over toward us, raises his sunglasses and holds out his hand to Tanya, giving her a slightly pleading look to persuade her to join him.

_Bad boys bad boys_

_Watcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do_

_when they come for you?_

Tanya shakes her head again, and I can see she is going bright red in the face with embarrassment. Jessica stands up and attempts to get Tanya to stand up as well. I can see Tanya look pleadingly at Gianna for help, but it's to no avail. Mike, with the help of Jess has a hold of her hand and is now walking the reluctant girl to the chair. Tanya sits and Mike whispers something into her ear. Tanya whispers something back to which Mike winks at her. Tanya smiles and seems to relax visibly. The music then changes and becomes a fast paced Junkie XL song.

_Life is hard_

_Life is short_

_Pained by laws_

_Like billy club_

_Life is hard_

_Life is short_

_Pained by laws_

_Like billy club_

The upbeat rhythm of the music puts everyone in a party mood, and the crowd starts to sing, clap and move along to the song as Mike dances in front of Tanya, encouraging her to remove his hat, tie and sunglasses and to put them on herself instead. As the song continues, he also persuades Tanya to undo the top three buttons of his shirt. So far, he has been quite tame and is not being pushy with her, staying at arm's length.

Moving away from Tanya, he dances over to Jess, gyrates his groin right in front of her face, and then encourages her to remove his utility belt. What ensues can only be described as a debauched display of foreplay between the two of them. Jess simulates giving the night stick a hand job as she runs her hand up and down its length seductively, before unclasping the utility belt and taking it off him, making sure to brush her wrists over the crotch of his pants in the process.

"Don't make me cuff you, Jess." Mike admonishes her, but gives her a smirk.

"Promises, promises," Jess teases.

"Maybe I'll punish you later." He laughs, gives her a wink and turns his attention back to Tanya. Jess pretends to swoon and fan herself, and we all burst into laughter.

The song changes to _'Flaunt It_' and Mike stands Tanya up from the chair, gives her a gentlemanly kiss on the back of her hand and escorts her back to her seat between Gianna and Jess. He then grabs Jess by the wrist and leads her to the chair. Jess starts to sit down, but Mike has other ideas.

"Uh-uh-uh. No, you're not going to be sitting for this. I want you to lean over the back of the chair, and you're to assume the position and spread 'em." At this declaration, everyone in the room shouts and whistles in encouragement.

Mike stands close behind the bent over form of Jessica with his hands on both of her hips. Addressing the party goers, Mike says, "We call this the _'Assume Position_' ... because I'm assuming she's been in this position before".

"Yeah, well you would know," counters Jess, as she looks over her shoulder at Mike and gives him a knowing grin and a wink. The crowd erupts into laughter.

_I'll make the bass line nice and deep_

_for all you freaks on disco treats_

_Just shake that ass_

_Just shake that ass_

_Shake that ass_

At this Mike spanks her once on the ass making her jump slightly and give out a small yelp of surprise. "Didn't your parents ever teach you to respect the law? Now Ma'am, behave yourself and keep still because I'm going to perform a full body search to look for dangerous weapons and drugs," he demands.

Using the night-stick, he slowly traces along the insides of Jessica's legs and the seam of the ass of her jeans. Jessica seems to be enjoying herself immensely and the crowd is too, yelling out lewd suggestions about the size of his 'night stick' and performing a cavity search.

"Well it seems I have found something, Ma'am," says Mike, as he lifts the bottom hem of her t-shirt to expose the skin of her lower back and the top of her low-rise jeans, "Looks like I found a little ... crack."

At this remark, Jess turns around and smacks Mike on his left bicep, and the crowd breaks out into laughter again.

"This is your second warning, Jess. Next time it's going to be the cuffs," he warns playfully, grabbing both of her wrists in one hand and sitting her down in the chair.

Barely missing a beat, Jess yells out, "If it pleases the court, I would just like to testify to all the witnesses here, that I have absolutely no objection to being cuffed to you."

Mike is rolling his eyes and huffing in fake annoyance, but obviously loving every minute of their hilarious banter. "Now keep your hands braced to the seat of this chair, unless I tell you to touch me.

The music slows down and the seductive baritone voice of Depeche Mode's singer, Dave Gahan, croons. Mike begins to straddle Jess to give her a lap dance.

_I could corrupt you_

_In a heartbeat_

_You think you're so special_

_Think you're so sweet_

I turn to speak to Tanya only to find that she is making her way out of the room toward the aft deck. Not wanting to watch more of the foreplay act between Mike and Jess, I follow Tanya outside. Tanya reaches into her jacket pocket and pulls out a packet of cigarettes. On seeing me approach, she holds out the packet to me, and I take one.

"Not enjoying the entertainment?" I ask, as Tanya flicks her lighter and offers the flame to my cigarette, before lighting her own. She takes a few deep drags before answering me.

"He's nice enough, just not my type."

"And who exactly is your type?"

At this question, Tanya points her finger back at the main salon, to where we were previously sitting. "See that fucking hot piece of ass, the brunette?"

I look to where she is pointing, confused, until I realize she is talking about Gianna.

"Gianna? You and Gianna are ..."

Tanya nods and my eyebrows rise involuntarily in surprise.

"Wow, I had no idea you were that way inclined. When did you decide ... I mean ... how long have you known ... that you're gay?"

"A couple of years. It's just not public knowledge yet."

"Does Irina know?"

Tanya shakes her head. "No, she doesn't know and I would appreciate it if you could keep the information to yourself. You know what my mother is like."

I nod in agreement. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me," I assure her.

_Just wait until Jess hears about this!_

Tanya and I continue to smoke cigarettes and watch the show from afar in companionable silence, apart from our occasional laughter at the antics of the party goers with Mike.

During T. Rex's "Get It On", Mike manages to remove most of his costume, with the help of a few willing participants from the audience, revealing his stunning body, which includes a nipple ring and a fuck-hot Celtic dragon tattoo that spans the length of his left flank, from his hip, almost up to his armpit. His tight black and blue lycra shorts, come with a silver police badge on the front and fishnet mesh rear that shows off his gorgeous ass. I am seriously envious of Jess.

During Placebo's cover version of "20th Century Boy", Tanya and I decide to make our way back into the main salon to join in with the raucous crowd. By the end of the show, Mike ends up wearing only baby oil and a tiny, black G-string that was definitely not packing a '_Tater-Tot_', and Irina ended up handcuffed to the chair after he got sick of her unsolicited grabs at his sizable '_weapon_'.

As Mike leaves to get cleaned up and changed, Jess and I decide to head outside to the marina parking lot so that she can grab her bag from my car. I'm still slightly pissed at her, because she knew that hooking up with Mike would be a possibility, and she had planned for such an event without at least informing me first.

"Will you be okay to drive yourself home?" Jess asks with concern, as she takes her bag from the back seat of my car.

"Yeah I'm fine. Once I realized you were going to abandon me at the end of the evening, I cut myself off at two drinks." I bite my tongue to hold back the smirk, knowing that she is going to unleash a tirade at me.

"Oh come on, Kate! How many times in the past have you left me stranded, having run off after some random dick? And Mike's not just some throwaway fuck! Since our date last Tuesday, we have been texting each other constantly and talking on the phone every night for hours. I'm really serious about this guy, and I want to be able to spend as much time as possible with him to get to know him more. I can't fucking believe you would try to guilt me with this passive aggressive bullshit!"

The laughter comes out of me and a look of realization crosses Jessica's face when it dawns on her that I was just baiting her. She smacks me on the shoulder and exclaims, "You're such a bitch!"

"Chill out Jess and don't get so fucking defensive. I was only joking. Go have a great night. Seriously, I mean it. This Mike guy seems nice enough, so go have some fun and get your freak on."

We walk back to the dock, and I wait with Jess for a few minutes until we hear male voices approach. We turn and see Mike and Edward standing at the top of the gangplank as they are saying their goodbyes to each other.

"Hey gorgeous girl, are you ready to go? Mike asks as he walks down the gangplank. His hands are full with a garment bag in one hand, slung over his shoulder and the cardboard box in the other. He kisses Jess briefly on the forehead by way of greeting.

"Absolutely! I can't wait, let's go. Bye Kate, drive safe," she says and gives me a quick hug. They start to walk off together into the dimly lit parking lot. Jess turns and shouts to me, "So I'll see you Monday for lunch before I go to work?"

"Yeah sure," I shout in reply, and I watch as she turns around and walks with Mike toward his car. She looks so happy she is almost skipping, and I have to laugh, but I also feel an acute pang of envy. I turn around to begin my walk up the gangplank. I need to collect my purse and say goodnight and goodbye to Tanya. I look up at the deck and see Edward standing there, leaning on the guard-rail, looking out over the parking lot with anticipation.

"I see you're still waiting for a ride," I say, as I am halfway up the gangplank.

"She'll be here soon enough," he answers, without even sparing me a glance.

"Just say the word, Edward, and I can drive you home. I'm sure it wouldn't be too far out of my way."

"Thanks, but no thanks," he says sarcastically.

"Well ... if you're sure then." I shrug nonchalantly, and move, as if I am going to walk by him, but I pause next to him instead. "So, Edward ... tell me ... are you worth every penny?"

"What?"

"Your little extended arrangement with Bella Swan has me intrigued."

He looks at me blankly.

"Okay … are you aware that 'The Wedding Date' used to be one of Bella's favorite movies?

"What arrangement are you talking about?" he asks looking even more confused, "and how do you know Bella?"

"You know, a paid arrangement, just like in the movie, 'The Wedding Date', the one with Debra Messing and Dermott Mulroney," I explain. "And as for how I know Bella? We actually go waaaaay back. In fact, we were on pretty good terms until she went mental and dumped all her friends. So come on ... 'fess up. How much is she paying you?"

"Kate, please just stop messing with my fucking brain, because you are giving me a headache, and I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about."

"It's not frigging rocket science, Edward," I huff out in exasperation. I feel like I need to sound out the words slowly, or write them out phonetically, because he is being so incredibly dense right now. "How much is Bella Swan paying you to fuck her? Did she decide finally to spend a chunk of that big, fat inheritance she got from killing her parents?"

"Just shut up, right now!" he snaps. It seems angry Edward is back and looking as hot as ever. "I do not have an arrangement with Bella, as you so eloquently put it. Bella is my girlfriend, and while I might have worked as a stripper, I have never, _EVER _prostituted myself!" He is seething with anger and his knuckles are turning white from the force with which he is gripping the handrail in front of him.

I see a red sports car make its way through the parking lot, and pull up at the gates near the end of the dock. Edward reaches down, grabs his bag, and moves to pass by me to begin his descent down the gangplank.

"You better watch out, Edward. I'm warning you now. Bella's not right in the head. Have you checked out her bathroom cabinet? Maybe you should ask her about her little stint in the psych ward."

He reels around and stands toe-to-toe with me, glaring and pointing his finger in my face. "I told you to shut your fucking mouth, and in future, stay away from me and stay away from Bella."

He turns and continues his path down to the dock, just as the car door opens and Bella steps out. She moves around to the front of the car and gives Edward a hug in greeting. Edward bends down and gives Bella a passionate kiss that makes the blood want to boil in my veins, and it has officially become the fucking shittiest night ever.

I turn to make my way back inside to get my purse, when I am met by the blonde waiter who appears to also be waiting for someone. He looks me up and down and smiles.

"That guy is an idiot who is not worthy of your time. He's a fool to pass up the offer of a ride with a beautiful girl like you."

"Why thank you ... er?"

"Jamie. Well ... it's James actually, but my friends all call me Jamie," he says, giving me a wink.

"Nice to meet you, Jamie. Now tell me, was that your not-so-subtle way of hinting that you might need a ride home?"

"As a matter of fact, I do need a ... ride. I called for a cab, but they seem to be taking their sweet time getting here. I'm beginning to think they've gotten lost." His smile is so charming.

"Well then ... it's your lucky day. Just let me grab my purse."

* * *

**A/N 2 - Invidia = Goddess of Jealousy**

**"The Wedding Date" is a movie that came out in 2005. Dermott Mulroney is just _UNF_! Check out the trailer on YouTube if you are unfamiliar with it.**

**Play list used in this chapter**** (also available on YouTube)**

**Bad Boys (COPS Theme Song) - Inner Circle**

**Billy Club (Crazy Man) - Junkie XL**

**Flaunt It - TV Rock featuring Seany B**

**Corrupt - Depeche Mode**

**Get It On - T. Rex**

**20th Century Boy - Placebo (T. Rex cover version)**

**B-o-B xxx**


	4. Atë

**A/N - This is an out-take of chapter 10 from "Angel Of Corruption" ****written by Drowning in Chaos.**

**Thank you to those of you who read the previous chapters and took the time to leave a review.  
**

* * *

**Atë**

Kate POV**  
**

Monday Morning

I no longer look forward to Monday mornings. I expect that Friday afternoons will also become the bane of my existence.

My stomach is churning with nausea, and I wonder if Edward will even come to class today. Hopefully, he won't. I'd briefly contemplated ditching class this morning, but I know I'm already skating on thin ice with the professor. I stare down at the writing pad in front of me, making random swirling patterns with my pen, torturing myself with thoughts of Saturday night.

Tanya's party was a complete disaster for me. Sadly, I didn't get to see Edward strip, and my theory that he might have been working as an Escort had been wrong. Not only did I have to deal with Edward's outright rejection of me, I also had to watch him leave with Bella Swan. Then, to rub my face in it, he had kissed her right in front of me. I still can't believe that he would choose someone as pathetic as Bella to be his girlfriend.

To top the evening off, not only had Jess ditched me for Mike, she'd left it up to me to say goodnight to Tanya, 'Desperate Denali' and her creepy fiancé, 'Feel-Me-Up Felix'.

I'd quickly gone back inside to grab my purse, so I could leave and hook up with Jamie, but the _gruesome twosome_ somehow cornered me in one of the staterooms. While politely trying to say my goodbye, they started to allude to wanting to have a threesome with me and started to go into explicit details about their sex life.

To say that I was horrified and more than a little nauseous at the prospect is an understatement. In the end, I had to give them the excuse of needing to go to the powder room, just to be able to escape. By the time I got outside again, Jamie was gone.

It was just the perfect fucking end to a completely shitty evening.

To make matters worse, Jess rang me last night and told me she had heard along the grapevine that some of the girls who were at the party were blaming me for Edward's refusal to do the gig, and they were really pissed at me.

It seemed that a good number of them were Facebook friends with Angela Weber, and they had seen the risqué pictures of Edward performing at Bella's 21st. That is, before the photos suddenly disappeared from her account on Friday evening.

When they first saw Edward arrive at the party, they were obviously excited and expected him to perform. Jess told me that someone had overheard the conversation between Edward and Mike, and then the word got around that he'd refused to strip because I was there. While they'd enjoyed watching Mike's performance, they were disappointed that he didn't go the 'Full Monty' as the photos of Edward stripping at Bella's party had implied.

_Fuck my life._

Edward's approach disrupts my melancholy thoughts, and I watch him from the corner of my eye as he drops his bag onto the table. He goes through his usual routine of taking out pens, books, glasses and writing pads. I keep staring down at my paper, pretending not to look at him, and willing myself to become invisible.

"Fucking hell...where the fuck is it?" I hear Edward hiss to himself. I chance it and look at Edward. He is frantically searching in his bag for something. He starts opening all of the zips on the bag and continues searching through its various compartments, cursing the whole time. I watch fascinated as he stands and then completely upends the bag, scattering its entire contents over the table surface.

"Shit, shit, shit...I'm so screwed!" He is clenching his hair tightly in his fists, and he looks panic-stricken.

"What's wrong?" I ask, curious, but not caring. In this moment, watching his obvious distress is suddenly making me feel a whole lot better about today.

_Call it karma, if you will._

"My flash-drive is missing. I've lost it or else someone has stolen it." He once again starts shaking out his upturned bag, obviously hoping it will miraculously appear.

I remember that I am the one in possession of his USB flash-drive and recall that it is in my other bag at home. Now I know I could be nice and tell him I have it, but I decide to torture him a bit instead because I think the fucker really deserves it.

"What does it look like and when did you last see it?" I pretend to care and scan my eyes along the floor in search of it.

"It's sort of silver and sparkly, like a hologram design, and it has a black cap and silver chain," he replies. He is now picking up his textbooks, shaking and flicking through them to see if it's hiding in amongst some pages.

At this point, I have to turn away in case he glimpses the knowing smirk I'm desperately trying to rein in.

"I last saw it on Friday, and I know I put it in my bag. I was in the library using it with one of their computers, before I had to go to the hospital and pick up the Integra that the professor wanted."

"Well surely you have whatever is on it backed-up somewhere else?" I offer.

At this, he slumps forward, rests his forehead on his arms and starts groaning as if in pain.

"No, I don't. I gave my laptop to my buddy, Eric Yorkie, last week to re-partition and reformat it for the latest version of Windows. I just took all the important stuff off the laptop and put it onto the flash-drive. FUCK! We only have three weeks of the semester to go, and I'm supposed to have my major assignment turned in. I've been working on it for fucking months! Even if I start over, I'll never get it finished in time. I'll fail the semester because it's worth fucking half of the marks, and failing is going to screw up a job opportunity, that is dependent on me passing with excellent results."

I watch in amusement as he begins banging his head on his forearms in frustration.

"Wow! Sucks to be you then," I quip. "Well at least you have your current occupation to fall back on." I cross my arms and finally allow the smirk to show across my face.

"Why thank you very much for being so fucking sympathetic," he snarls.

"Yeah, well maybe if you had been nicer to me, I might have decided to go easy on your ass, but you were a prick, so now I'm going to make your life difficult," I spit back at him.

"What the fuck does that even mean?"

"It means that I happen to know where your precious flash-drive is…I have it."

"WHAT!" he hisses, once again looking absolutely livid and hot.

"You heard me. I have it. And before you even dare to think about going through my bag, it's not here. It's somewhere else...safe."

"Did you steal it from me? You'd better fucking give it back!" He's staring at me with a murderous glare.

"No, I didn't steal it. You dropped it and took off running before I could return it to you. I've decided that since you were such an asshole to me last Saturday night, you're not getting it back; not unless you make it worth my while."

"What? Are you fucking kidding me with this? Are you mentally deranged? You're seriously telling me that you are holding my flash-drive and my future for ransom. Okay, fine; how much? How much money do you want for it?" He retrieves his wallet from under the pile of his belongings still scattered on the desk.

I start laughing. "Edward, my father happens to own the third largest pharmaceutical company in the country, and in three short years I will have access to a trust fund worth fucking millions. Even now, I get a twenty-thousand dollar a month allowance. I really don't think I'll need your money."

"So what is it that you want? His eyes are narrowed in anger and his jaw clenches with tension.

I give him a long contemplative look, because I want to make him sweat a little, then cock an eyebrow and give him a mischievous smile.

"Forget it. There's no way in Hell that I'm fucking you," he states emphatically.

_Damn_! I try not to let the disappointment show on my face.

"Honestly, Edward, it didn't even cross my mind," I lie, and quickly decide to go with 'Plan B' instead. "I want you to do a strip show, free of charge...for a party." Again, it's a lie. No need to tell him, right now, that it's for a party of one..._Me_.

"No way, no how! Not in this life-time!"

"It's your loss then," I say in a singsong voice and shrug, pretending to not give a shit that I'm not getting what I want.

Professor Greenwood enters the room, and I turn and give him my full attention as he proceeds to discuss the comparisons between Integra and MatriDerm.

Throughout the lecture, I can virtually hear Edward seething with fury. With each huff and growl he makes, I have to stop myself from laughing out loud. I feel a sense of triumph over how I've inadvertently achieved so much power over him.

_Yes, karma is indeed a bitch, and so am I._

~x~x~x~

Sadly, the Biotech session has finished. It has been highly entertaining and this morning ended up being so much better than I thought it would be. I am packing up my books when Edward finally speaks up.

"When is the party?"

_Holy Fuck! He's actually considering it!_

"Um...this Saturday, eight PM," I say as calmly as possible, trying not to give away my excitement.

"Where is the party being held?"

"If you give me your email address, I will send you the details and the play-list you'll be performing to."

"I'll do one song and that's all," he states, as he writes down his email address on one of his writing pads.

"I don't think so, Edward! You're not in any position to haggle. You'll do four songs. Take it or leave it!" I watch as Edward pauses, closes his eyes, and silently fumes for about a minute.

"Fine! Any other requests?" he says sarcastically, as he viciously tears off the piece of paper and hands it to me.

"You'll get all the details in my email," I state firmly.

We both pack our bags and leave the classroom. We go out into the corridor, and I head to the lockers to put away my books as I'm meeting Jess for lunch today. As Edward passes by I can't resist taunting him just a bit more.

"See ya later...Cowboy."

* * *

**A/N 2 - ****Atë = The Greek Goddess ****of delusion, infatuation/ obsession, and reckless impulse, who led men down the path to ruin.**

**Integra™ and MatriDerm™ are products used in the treatment of acute burn injuries and burn scar reconstruction. Google it if you are curious and have a strong stomach.**

**B-o-B xxx**


	5. Peitho

**A/N - This is another out-take of chapter 10 from "Angel Of Corruption" ****written by Drowing in Chaos**

**Thank you to those of you who read the previous chapters and took the time to leave a review.**

* * *

**Peitho**

Kate POV**  
**

Tuesday Evening

**From:** Katherine Curtis kjcurtis69  
**To:** Edward Cullen eamcullen  
**Sent:** Tue, 25 May, 2010 16:50:06 PM  
**Subject:** Saturday night

Hi Edward,

As we discussed yesterday, here are the details for the show Saturday night. The play list will be:

1. So Hott – Kid Rock

2. Cover You In Oil – AC/DC

3. Behind The Wheel – Depeche Mode

4. Pussy Town – Machine Gun Fellatio

Theme of the evening will be 'The Wild West' so you are requested to arrive dressed as a cowboy. You are required to arrive just before 8 PM in costume.

The guest of honor expects a lap dance to song #3.

The address is:

Penthouse Apartment 5

111 First Avenue South

Pioneer Square

**Kate xx**

* * *

**From:** Edward Cullen eamcullen  
**To:** Katherine Curtis kjcurtis69  
**Sent:** Tue, 25 May, 2010 21:34:17 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Saturday night

You could do the right thing and just give me my flash-drive back.

E.C

* * *

**From:** Katherine Curtis kjcurtis69  
**To:** Edward Cullen eamcullen  
**Sent:** Tue, 25 May, 2010 22:23:38 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Saturday night

Dear Edward,

You didn't even say, "Please."

Regardless, the terms are not negotiable. You do the show, or else take your chances and try rewriting the assignment and handing it in on time.

Either way, it's no skin off my nose.

I'll just need you to confirm yes or no so I can make arrangements.

**Kate xxx**

Sent from my iPhone.

* * *

**From:** Edward Cullen eamcullen  
**To:** Katherine Curtis kjcurtis69  
**Sent:** Tue, 25 May, 2010 23:14:19 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Saturday night

Forget it. I'll take my chances.

E.C.

* * *

Friday Evening

**From:** Edward Cullen eamcullen  
**To:** Katherine Curtis kjcurtis69  
**Sent:** Fri, 28 May, 2010 21:05:49 PM  
**Subject:** My flash drive

How do I know you actually have my flash drive?

I only have your word but no actual evidence.

I need some proof.

E.C.

* * *

**From:** Katherine Curtis kjcurtis69  
**To:** Edward Cullen eamcullen  
**Sent:** Fri, 28 May, 2010 22:09:06 PM  
**Subject:** Thinking of you

**3 attachments (total 1015.8 KB)**

**View slide show (3) Download all as zip**

Dear Edward,

See the 3 attached photos.

Is this proof good enough for you? ;)

Have you changed your mind? I need final confirmation.

Are you doing the show? Yes or no?

**Kate xx**

P.S. – Missed you in class today.

* * *

I push the send button and smirk to myself. _What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall._

I'd love to be able to see the look on his face when he opens the attachments. I couldn't choose a favorite picture, so I sent three.

My ass looked fantastic in the photo of me standing pressed up against my wall mirror. Both of my arms were extended over my head, and I wore the flash drive on its chain, backwards around my neck, so that it hung halfway down my back.

The photo of me lazing on the chaise, with the flash drive between my teeth, showed off my legs to perfection, and the one taken on my bed, where I had my head hanging off the end and arms spread wide, really highlighted my breasts. I believe that tucking the flash drive into the bra cup of the lingerie was a particularly nice touch.

I stand up from my desk and remove the memory card from the reader slot of my laptop. I then walk over to the dresser and proceed to dismantle the digital camera and tripod, and reinsert the memory card. While standing in front of the dresser, I take a moment to admire my image in the mirror. Yes, wearing the black La Perla, Venere baby-doll with matching string thong made my body the perfect backdrop for the shiny silver flash drive that is hanging around my neck. The chain is just the right length, so that the flash drive sits nicely just below my cleavage.

I remove the chain from around my neck and return it to my bag. I then walk over to my closet to remove my Madame Claude d'Orsay Pumps. Just as I place them back in their box, I hear an email alert chime from my laptop. I walk back to the desk and open the email.

* * *

**From:** Edward Cullen eamcullen  
**To:** Katherine Curtis kjcurtis69  
**Sent:** Fri, 28 May, 2010 25:15:36 PM  
**Subject:** Re: Thinking of you

Yes.

E.C.

* * *

**A/N 2 - Peitho = Greek goddess who personifies persuasion and seduction.**

**B-o-B xxx**


	6. Apate

**A/N - This is an out-take of chapter 10 from "Angel Of Corruption" written by Drowning in Chaos  
**

**Thank you to those of you who read the previous chapters and took the time to leave a review. Your responses really made me giggle. It's great to read that some of you have such violent tendencies toward Kate and innocent computers. LOL.**

**This chapter is unbeta'ed. Feel free to mock me for any errors.**

**Stephenie Meyer and Summit own all things Twilight, no copyright infringement intended…except for the parts where I blatantly ripped off direct quotes and used them for my own twisted purposes. **

* * *

**Apate**

Kate POV**  
**

Saturday Evening

I am curled up on my sofa waiting for Edward to arrive. Inside I feel like a spring, coiled and tense. To pass the time until he arrives, I'm drinking wine while perusing the Gossip Cop website on my laptop. Music is streaming wirelessly from my iTunes library to the surround sound speakers that are hidden around the room. None of this relaxes me.

I look at my large antique mantle clock for what must be the hundredth time in the last hour. It's 7:58PM, and just as I am speculating that Edward is going to back out of our arrangement, I hear the buzz of the security intercom.

With my wineglass still in hand, I stand and walk over to the door and pick up the handset of the video intercom. An image appears, and all I can see is the top of a black, felt cowboy hat. Its wearer is leaning forward with one arm against the wall and looking down at the ground.

"Hello?" I say into the mouthpiece.

The wearer of the hat looks up, and I'm excited by the welcome sight of Edward's face as it comes into view on the screen. "Open the door," he says laconically.

I press a button to release the magnetic lock on the security door of the building, and then press another button to change the view from the front door to the CCTV camera that is within the lobby. I continue to watch until I see Edward enter the elevator.

I flick a few switches to turn on several wall sconces and lamps, and turn off the overhead down-lights, leaving the room bathed in a soft romantic light. I unlatch the door to my apartment, leaving it slightly ajar and then walk back to the sofa to wait for his arrival. A few seconds later, I hear a knock at the door.

"It's open, Edward. Come in," I call out.

The door opens and Edward tentatively pokes his head into the room. In that brief first second, I can see that he has already scanned the room and realized that there are no other people in the apartment. His jaw tenses and his lips set themselves into a thin, pursed line. He huffs out in sheer frustration through his flared nostrils. Obviously, it has dawned on him that he has been duped. He walks into the room, slams the door behind him, and then strides over to the sofa to confront me.

"You lied to me about the party," he snarls, stating the obvious and glaring at me.

"Well no shit, Sherlock!" I answer in mock surprise. "What clued you in?" Becoming more serious I continue, "I think you'll find it was necessary."

"Why?" he asks. He drops a duffel bag on my sofa, and then crosses his arms in front of his chest. I can't decide if he is trying to be defensive or aggressive with his body language.

"Well, Duh! Come on, you don't honestly believe that you'd _ever_ come to my apartment alone if you knew it was just me here, right?"

"Of course not! Oh...right," he answers, appearing to finally understand.

"Nevertheless, even without others here you are still required to keep our arrangement."

He looks around the room, refusing to comment, and silence lingers in the air between us. I decide that things need to get underway.

"So…this is your costume? I have to say, Edward, I'm a little disappointed. I was expecting more of an effort."

"Why? What were you expecting? Assless chaps?"

"Maybe..."

I feel a grin break out across my face as my mind takes a trip to _dirty-girl land_. I imagine myself riding Edward, cowgirl style, while he's wearing chaps. _Yee…haw_!

Coming out of my fantasy, I continue, "…you've got a nice ass, and my motto has always been, "if you've got it, flaunt it". As if to prove my point, I glance down at my cleavage that is peeking out from the tight, low-cut, white tank top I'm wearing. _May I present to you, for your viewing pleasure, exhibits A and B_.

"Yeah, well, I've never performed dressed as a cowboy before. I was going for a look that was more like Travolta in 'Urban Cowboy' rather than Randy Jones," he explains.

"Um…Who's Randy Jones?" I ask, hoping that I don't look like an imbecile for not knowing who he is.

"He's the cowboy from the Village People."

At this revelation, I giggle. "Edward, the fact that you know the names of any members of the Village People, almost makes me doubt your heterosexuality," I say teasingly.

"I was researching famous cowboys. You can Google it!" he says defensively.

Edward is standing before me dressed head to toe in black. He is wearing his shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and the top three press-studs are open. His upper chest is partly obscured due to the bandana he's wearing around his neck. His black pants are tight in all the right places. The only contrasting color to the outfit is the large, red and silver belt buckle that reads, 'Everything's Bigger in Texas' and is shaped like The Lone Star state. There is also a pair of silver spurs on the heels of his boots.

"Cute belt buckle, by the way. Nice touch. Does this mean you call your pants, '_Texas_'?"

Ignoring my playful question, he instead answers, "The buckle belongs to my friend Jasper. The hat, spurs and lariat are all his too."

"Lariat?"

"The lasso," he explains, indicating with a sideways nod to the bag on my sofa.

Silence.

_Again with the silence. _

I don't like the awkwardness between us one little bit, and there is a palpable air of anger emanating from Edward. It's obvious he's not going to initiate any conversation. This is not going in any direction that I had hoped for. This is nothing like my fantasy. I pour myself another glass of the inky, purple wine and take a sip to calm myself.

"Would you like a drink, Edward?" I ask, directing his gaze to the bottle of wine and an empty wineglass sitting on the coffee table. "It might help you to relax a bit."

He picks up the bottle of 2004 '_Evil Incarnate_' Shiraz and smirks when he reads the label. "Is this a family label?" he asks, with a hint of humor in his voice.

"Very funny. I'll have you know that I happen to have an aunt who is a world-renowned sommelier. She bought it for me as a gift during a recent trip to Australia."

"I guess it's true what they say then; it really is the thought that counts," he says while placing the bottle back on the coffee table.

"How so? I ask, not understanding what he means.

"It only seems fitting that she saw the name on the label…and thought of you." He smirks again.

"Shut it, Cullen. That attitude of yours is what landed you in my bad books. Let's get on with this."

He pauses and gives me an almost pleading look, but I just ignore it and tap the top of my left wrist, indicating that time is wasting.

Edward walks over to the bag on the sofa, opens it, and pulls out a length of black polypropylene rope and a CD case. He drops the black lariat onto the sofa then hands the CD case to me. I take out the CD, insert it into the DVD-Rom drive of my laptop, and sync up the songs in iTunes.

I pick up a remote that is next to me on the arm of the sofa and point it over my shoulder. "Are you ready?" I ask him.

He looks at me suspiciously. "What is that remote for?"

"Volume. Now shut up and dance for me pretty boy. The quicker we get started the quicker you'll get your precious flash drive."

I hit the play icon on iTunes and the drumbeats and guitar riffs blare from the speaker system, followed by panting noises and then the vocals.

_You got a body like the devil and you smell like sex__  
__I can tell you're trouble but I'm still obsessed__  
__Because you know you're__  
__ So hot, I wanna get you alone__  
__So hot, I wanna get you stoned__  
__So hot, I don't want to be your friend__  
__I wanna fuck you like I'm never gonna see you again…__  
_

Although Edward is dancing in front of me, and has undone all but one of the buttons of his shirt, it is obvious he is not getting into his role, and it pisses me off. By the look on his face, one would think he was doing complex math calculations in his head, and he won't look at me. I snap my fingers at him to get his attention.

"Hey, pretty boy, get your head in the game. Aren't you supposed to dance and make each client feel like you'd want to entertain her for your own pleasure? To be honest I'm not feeling it from you right now. You'd better put a smile on that lovely face of yours, or else I'm going to change the third song to '_A Lap Dance Is So Much Better When The Stripper Is Crying_' by The Bloodhound Gang."

He smiles, but it doesn't reach his eyes.

_Oh, well…never mind. _I roll my eyes and wave my hands in a shooing gesture just to get him to continue with his routine.

The song is ending and Edward removes his shirt. I feel myself instantly get wet at the sight of his faint, wispy happy trail. I want to run my hands over it, dip my finger into his navel, and then dip my fingers into the waistband of his pants. I'm hoping that the inclusion of the next song in my requested play list will mean that he will break out the baby oil and let me touch him.

Bending forward, Edward puts both of his hands on my knees and gently begins to rub small circles with his thumbs. He looks directly into my face, and our gazes lock. Tilting his head slightly he moves his mouth closer to my ear and speaks to me with a velvety voice.

"We're going to play a little game now. You can be my naughty, young Indian squaw, and I'll be the big, bad cowboy who captures you. Are you up for it?"

In the background, I hear AC/DC's '_Cover You In Oil_' playing.

_I like to slip into something good  
I see a young girl in the neighborhood  
The way she move, I must confess  
I like to run my hands up and down her legs  
The way she dress, she look so fine  
I'll make her wet, gonna make her mine_

I am speechless, and completely overwhelmed by his touch, so I just nod dumbly at him. I'm doubly certain now that if I had been wearing any panties under this short denim skirt, I'd definitely need to change them.

"Okay, I'll need you to sit in a different chair for this." Edward walks over to my dining table, selects one of the wooden, high-backed armchairs, and brings it to the center of my lounge room. He pats the base of the chair, indicating that I should move, and I jump up excitedly from the sofa to situate myself in the armchair.

He picks up the lariat from the sofa, uncoils it, and then makes a loop. Walking about ten feet away from me, he turns around, faces me, and says, "I want you to hold your right arm straight out in front of you."

I hold out my arm as I'm told, but I'm unsure of what is about to happen, and I'm sure the uncertainty is evident on my face.

"My friend, Jasper, taught me a few tricks. It'll be fun. I promise." He gives me a wink, and I melt into acquiescence.

He puts the loop of the lariat in his right hand then moves his arm in a clockwise direction on the right side of his body. Once he has it spinning, he releases the loop and continues to spin it by the tail end of the lariat. Suddenly, his arm thrusts forward and the loop comes speeding toward me. I'm frightened that the rope is going to hit my face, so I hold up my left arm defensively across my eyes. I then become aware of my right wrist being pulled forward slightly as the loop of the lariat tightens around it. Uncovering my eyes, I see Edward striding forward to remove the loop from my wrist.

"Hey that was awesome. I hardly felt it," I say excitedly and beam up at him.

"Wanna go again?" he asks.

"Sure."

Once again, Edward moves away from me and begins to spin the lariat. This time, however, he spends a little time moving the loop from left to right on either side of his body. "Hold your hand up, Kate," he reminds me.

This time I know to trust him, and I even manage to keep my eyes open when I see the lariat come toward me. Once again, the lariat gently captures my wrist. Edward releases me from the loop and looks down into my eyes.

"Do you trust me now?" he asks.

"Yeah, you're really good at it," I say enthusiastically. "

I just wanna try one thing. Be very still...don't move," he instructs, then walks back to his place. I begin to hold up my arm again, but he shakes his head, 'no'. "This time I want you to hold onto the arms of the chair. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course," I reply.

This time he begins by spinning the loop in front of his ankles. It spins horizontally, parallel to the ground, almost touching the floor. Gradually, he moves it upward so it spins vertically, parallel to the front of his body. I notice that a light layer of sweat has started to form over his muscular arms and torso, and I'm mesmerized. The sweat combined with the hint of scruff on his face makes him look like a real, dirty cowboy.

The loop of the lariat flies toward me again. This time it loops around my waist, just under my breasts, and around the back of the wooden armchair that I'm sitting in. Edward walks toward me and in an unexpected move, that confuses me, he tightens the lariat and loops it a few times under the armrests of the chair. The result of this maneuver is that I am tied securely to the chair, and my forearms are pinned down to the armrests. I giggle and decide to play along.

"Okay Mr. big, bad cowboy, it seems you've captured me, so I will unconditionally surrender to you, Kemo Sabe. What will it take for you to forgive and release your naughty squaw?" I say in a breathy voice.

"You can start by giving me my flash drive back," he says, then reaches over to the coffee table and taps the space bar on my laptop causing the music to stop.

"What are you doing?" I snap. "Untie me now and get back to the dancing and the stripping."

"No. This ends now." He walks over to my sofa and quickly grabs a towel out of his duffel bag. He takes off his hat, tosses it onto the sofa, and starts wiping away the sheen of sweat from his face, hair, and body. "You're going to tell me where my flash drive is, or else."

"Or else what?" I snap sharply. I begin struggling violently trying to move my arms and body, but it is useless. He looks at me with a menacing stare.

"If you don't tell me, then I will have to go looking for it, and I promise you that I will tear this place apart. I'll pull everything out of every drawer, cupboard, and container. Things might even get broken."

I look at him, stunned. "You wouldn't fucking dare!" I gasp.

"Just watch me." He walks over to my kitchen bench and fully opens up a drawer. He removes the drawer from its runners and then swiftly tips it upside down. Suddenly, knives, forks, and spoons make a horrendous metallic crash of sound as they hit the floor. Removing another drawer, he again upends it. This time a variety of plastic and metal kitchen utensils and tools, fall to the floor with an almighty clatter. I start bucking against the rope, but it's tied tight. I'm worried if I struggle too much, the chair will tip over.

"Okay, okay, I got it. Enough!" I stop him, just as he is about to tip out a container of Kopi Luwak coffee beans.

He walks back to stand before me and pierces me with his glaring, green-eyed gaze. "Where. Is. It?" he says, enunciating each word with a pause between, for added emphasis.

"Cool." I reply, cryptically.

"What's cool?" he asks, confused.

"Cool." I repeat. He scowls at me and starts walking back toward my kitchen with the obvious intention of wreaking more havoc.

"Cold...Colder…Freeeeezing!" I call out and then giggle. He turns around and is walking back to confront me. He has a look of incredulity on his face. "Cold…Cool" I say. I smile and bat my eyelashes.

"Please tell me you aren't going to be childish about this?" he says as he walks back into the lounge room. "Seriously? This is how it is going to be, huh? We're playing a stupid game that kids play?" He starts walking around the sofa and starts heading for the mantelpiece.

"Cold…Colder!" I call out gleefully.

Edward huffs and turns around, then moves toward the sofa. Bending down, he starts lifting the throw pillows, sofa cushions, and afghan blanket, tossing them around carelessly.

"Cold…cold, cold, cold," I sing out.

He stands up straight and moves to walk by me. As Edward brushes past me, I whisper, "warm."

He stops and turns his head to look at me.

"Are you telling me that the flash drive is on you?"

He turns around and stands directly in front of me. We are almost toe-to-toe and he towers above me. My line of sight is looking directly at Edward's crotch, and he is still shirtless. The happy trail that is just begging to be licked, is taunting me.

"Hottest," I whisper, in a breathy sigh.

Edward, realizing that I am having a conversation with his nether regions, kneels down in front of me. "Stop it," he says sternly. "Now…where is it?"

"It's in my underwear," I reply, and again bat my lashes. I then part my legs slightly.

"Bullshit! You're lying."

I look him straight in the eyes. "No word of a lie, Edward. I'm telling the truth." I part my legs a little bit more.

Edward looks at me skeptically. Using one finger, he tentatively lifts up the bottom hem of my skirt. His eyes widen in shock, and he takes his hand away rapidly, as if it has been burned. My skirt falls back into place. The speed and momentum of Edward moving away so quickly, causes him to lose his equilibrium, and he falls backward.

"Jesus Christ," he growls angrily, and turns his head away, wincing. It's then that I realize his ass landed on his spurs.

I start laughing. "What's the matter, Edward? Haven't you ever seen a waxed and pierced pussy before?"

"You fucking lied to me again. I'm sick of this shit," he complains.

"I didn't lie to you, Edward! It _is_ in my underwear. You just assumed I'd hidden it in my panties instead of my bra."

"But you opened…," he trails off.

"And you _assumed_," I say triumphantly and laugh.

Struggling to get into a standing position, Edward is huffing, scowling, and rubbing his sore ass. He walks over and stands in front of me. The theme song to '_The Roy Rogers Show_' plays in my mind, and I lick my lips as I am again treated to a view of my new favorite friend, _Mr. Happy Trail_.

He reluctantly lifts both of his hands and moves them toward my breasts. I arch my back as much as my restraints will allow and thrust my chest out slightly. His fingers brush lightly over my nipples as he dips both hands under the neckline of my tank top, and into the pink, lacy demi-cup bra that barely covers them.

I begin to pant and moan in an exaggerated manner, that would be worthy of any porn star. His hands then move around to the outer swell of my breasts, down to the bottom of both bra cups.

Tilting my head back, I gasp and cry out, "Oh, Edward! Right there. That's it!"

Ignoring my Oscar worthy performance, he continues to delve around for a few more seconds until he finds his prize.

"Finally," Edward mutters quietly, and I feel him hook a finger into the chain of the flash-drive, then pull upward, tugging the device out from its hiding place between my breasts.

"Right, you got what you wanted; now untie me and then get the fuck out of my apartment!" I snarl.

Edward pays me no attention and moves over to my laptop. He inserts the flash drive into one of the USB slots and waits for it to load. He breathes a sigh of relief when he recognizes that all of his important documents are still intact. Removing the flash drive he puts it in his duffel bag, along with his towel, then walks to the middle of the room and retrieves his shirt from the floor.

I feel a wave of sadness when he puts the shirt on and starts refastening the buttons. However, this sadness is brief and is quickly followed by rage and righteous indignation.

"I demand that you untie me now, Edward!" I screech, as I struggle in vain against my bonds. "I fucking mean it; let me go or I swear to God that I'll make you rue the day you were born. I'll have you charged with false imprisonment!"

"By all means, be my guest, but if you do I'll have you charged with extortion. I have proof thanks to your emails," he says, smiling smugly.

_Oh Shit_! "When are you going to untie me then?"

"I'm not going to be the one to untie you. I'm going to leave, but before I do, I'll send a message to one of your friends to tell them to come here and help you. Where is your phone?" he asks.

"It's in my top bedside drawer," I say resignedly.

Edward looks around curiously at his surroundings to find a door that might lead to my bedroom.

"My bedroom is upstairs," I explain, and gesture with a sideways nod to the stairs that go up to a mezzanine floor.

He turns and walks up the stairs. I can still see him from my position in the middle of the lounge room as he stands next to my bed. He opens the top drawer, and I giggle when I hear the drawer slam shut followed by a muttered oath.

"Oops! I suppose I should have specified that it's the bedside table on the right. The left one is for my toys," I call out.

A few seconds later, he finds the phone and starts coming down the stairs. He stands in front of me and asks, "Who do you want me to contact so they can come and untie you?"

"Jessica Stanley," I say without hesitation. I know without question that I can trust her because I'm her best friend. It also helps that she is dumber than a box of rocks; I'll just make up a halfway credible story to explain away this situation, and she'll believe me.

He holds up my iPhone and presses the 'power on' button. Instantly, his face becomes livid, and I'm briefly confused, but then realize he has just discovered the wallpaper on my home screen. Taking a step forward, he towers over me again and holds the screen up to my face.

"Now tell me...why the fuck do you have a picture of me from Bella's party on your phone?" he asks, through clenched teeth. I look at the photo and shrug my shoulders, not caring to explain the obvious. It was my favorite photo.

He starts touching the screen, and I know that he is looking through my photo album. From the look on his face, he looks like he is about to pop an aneurysm.

"Delete…delete…delete," he says while tapping the screen rhythmically.

"Hey! You're supposed to be contacting Jess, not censoring my phone. That's my private property," I protest. He ignores me and continues tapping the screen.

"Are there any more pictures of me on this phone?" he asks, waving the phone in front of my face again.

"Fuck you, asshole!"

"Whatever," he replies, and begins to scroll and tap through various screens and applications.

After a few minutes, my phone chimes with a text alert. Edward looks as though he is replying to the message. He must have already texted Jess. I hope that she is on her way soon. My forearms and hands are starting to tingle due to the tightness of the rope.

"Jessica says she'll be here in ten minutes. I'll leave as soon as I let her into the building," he informs me. He moves away from me, places my phone on the coffee table next to my laptop, and takes a seat on the sofa. He then proceeds to pick up my laptop and starts tapping on the touchpad.

"What the hell are you doing now, Cullen?" I try to see what he is doing but the screen is turned away from me.

"I'm checking to see if you have any pictures of me on your laptop. I figure you back your phone up to this laptop, right?" He raises an eyebrow at me and tilts his head slightly. The question is rhetorical. He knows there is no way I'm going to admit to anything and that there is truth to what he is saying.

Instead, I close my eyes, take a deep breath through my nose, and start banging the back of my head on the backrest of the chair in frustration.

_Fuck…fuck…fuck. He's going to find them. _

"Jesus Christ," he exclaims, and his fingers start flying over the keyboard.

A few minutes later, he looks at me incredulously and shakes his head. I decide I'm not even going to bother asking him what that look was for. Edward looks over at the mantle clock, and as if on cue, the security intercom buzzes. He walks over to the intercom and picks up the handset. An image of Jess appears on the screen and without saying a word, he pushes the button to open the security door and replaces the handset.

He walks over to the sofa, picks up his hat and duffel bag, and walks over to the door. With his hand on the doorknob, he turns and says, "I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening, Kate." He lets out a small laugh, places the hat on his head, and opens the door.

"Fuck you, Cullen," I snarl as he leaves my apartment.

The door closes behind him, but from the other side of it, I hear a muffled, "_Yeah, you wish_."

Less than a minute later, I hear Jess knock on the door, and I roll my eyes. The door is locked, and I can't get up to open it.

Jess knocks again and calls out to me. "Kate? I'm here open the door."

"Um…I can't make it to the door right now, Jess. You'll have to use your emergency key," I yell out.

I hear the sound of a key in the lock, and then the door swings open. Jess takes one look at me, and her expression of curiosity becomes a look of horror. She drops her handbag to the floor and moves hurriedly toward me. She begins firing off questions with barely a pause between them.

"Oh my God! Are you okay? What happened? Was this a home invasion? Who did this? Are you hurt? Please tell me you weren't raped."

"I'm fine, Jess, just untie me. My arms are going numb."

Jess walks toward me, kneels down, and finds the knots that Edward used to tie off the lariat. She tries to undo them, but they are too tight and her gel nails are making the task difficult.

"Shit. I can't get them undone. I'll have to cut the rope," she says. "I'll need some scissors or a knife."

"You'll probably find a pair of kitchen shears on the floor," I reply and give a sideways nod in the direction of my kitchen.

Jess stands up, walks over to my kitchen, and exclaims, "Jesus, Kate, what a mess! It looks like the place was ransacked."

She bends down to retrieve the shears and turns to make her way back into the lounge. Just as she walks by the coffee table, she stops dead in her tracks. Her eyes are wide open with an expression of disbelief. She looks at me and then stares back in the direction of my coffee table, specifically at the screen of my laptop. Jess takes a step backward and sits on the edge of my sofa

"Hurry up, Jess. My arms are aching," I whine.

She looks at me, appearing perplexed. "What's going on, Kate, and…why do you have a feather in your hair?"

"It was just some role-playing, cowboys and Indians, nothing serious."

"So, who were you with?" she asks.

I glance around my apartment for inspiration to make up a name. Looking in the direction of the kitchen, I see the Italian-glass, splashback tiles.

_Tiles…Tyler._

"Tyler Crowley," I say with conviction.

I do actually know a Tyler Crowley. We met at a party one night, and I fucked him senseless on the hood of his daddy's Veyron. It was item number five on my personal 'Bucket List'.

_#4 – Take over Father's company and remove him from his position on the board.  
__#5 – Have sex in (or on) a Bugatti Veyron.__  
#6 – Meet Taylor Kitsch (or find someone who looks like him) and have mind-blowing sex._

Having met Mike Newton last week at Tanya's party, it looks promising that item number six will also be crossed off my list in the very near future.

"Okay," Jess says, slowly drawing the word out. "Now…why don't you just cut all the bullshit and start telling me the truth?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Tyler Crowley".

"What about him?"

"Admit that you are making up this 'Tyler Crowley' person. Even though I only caught a glimpse from the back, I know who I just saw out in the hallway. I just want you to admit it and to tell me what was really going on here."

"If it wasn't Tyler, then who was it that you _think_ you saw?"

"Why is that when you don't want to tell the truth, you always answer a question with a question? And I don't just _think _anything_, _Kate_. _ I _know_ who I saw. It was Edward Cullen. I saw him heading for the stairs as I stepped out of the elevator."

"What makes you think that it was Edward," I ask, still pretending to be confused.

"Even though I didn't see his face, it was obviously him. He has a fairly distinctive hair color. I noticed it right away, even if he did have most of it under a hat. The physique looked similar to his from the back too," she explains.

"Color means nothing. It's astounding the colors one can achieve from a bottle of hair dye these days," I reply in a matter-of-fact manner.

"Why are you still lying to me?" she asks in a quiet voice.

I look at Jess, who is again staring at my laptop screen. "I'm not!" I exclaim defensively.

"Then why would '_Tyler Crowley'_ leave pictures open on your desktop for me to find? How would this '_Tyler'_ person, a person I've never even met, know the significance of these pictures?" By the time she has finished her sentence, her voice has risen in volume and pitch. Whatever is on the screen must be bad, but I don't say anything to defend or incriminate myself.

Jess finally turns the laptop around so I can see the screen. There are several pictures open. They are pictures of Mike in various stages of undress at Tanya's farewell party.

"Care to explain to me why you have pictures of my boyfriend on your computer?" she asks accusingly.

"Irina emailed them to me," I say by way of explanation. "What's the big deal?"

"Well that in itself is not a big deal, but maybe you'd like to explain this!" Jess expands one of the pictures to fill the entire screen. It's a photo of Mike in his police officer costume. His shirt is unbuttoned and his groin is pressed up against the back of Jessica's body as she is bending over the back of a chair; his hands are grasping her hips.

"It was just done as a joke," I say.

"Excuse me if I fail to see the humor. In fact, I feel sick to my stomach. Why would you feel the need to PhotoShop your head onto my body in this particular picture?"

I shrug.

"Are you planning on seducing my boyfriend?" she asks.

"Oh come on! It was just done as a bit of fun; don't get your panties in a knot over a silly picture. Forget it. It doesn't mean anything. Please, Jess, just cut me out of this fucking rope! My arms are turning blue!" I huff.

"What you are forgetting is that I know how it is with you. You get obsessive with some men, and you pursue them until they are defenseless and give in. You get off on the chase, and you crave attention. Once you've caught them and used them for what you want, you discard them without any regrets for the people you've hurt along the way."

Jess starts tapping away at my computer, and I figure that just as Edward had done previously, she too is deleting pictures. I close my eyes and try not to think about the fact that my arms are aching with deep muscle pain and feel cold.

After a minute or so, I hear Jess gasp, and I look up to see a look of disgust on her face.

_Oh here we go! _I roll my eyes.

"Is this who I think it is?" Jess asks, and turns the screen to face me.

"Who do you think it is?"

Jess glares at me. "It looks like a guy who was friends with my parents. His name was Henry Varner."

"Well you are correct. He is the professor who taught me in my Pharmacology class last year."

"So are you aware that he killed himself six months ago?" Jess asks in a trembling voice. "His wife was about to leave him and take the kids away. Someone sent photos to their house…," she trails off, as her face takes on a deathly white pallor. She taps away on my computer for another minute and then stands up from the sofa.

"Okay, if you have finished perusing my personal files, may I suggest you bring those shears over with you and cut me loose," I say with annoyance.

Suddenly, Jess stands up, and in a tone of voice that I've never heard her use toward me, she hisses. "Cut you loose? I'll cut you loose, all right! This friendship is OVER!" She throws the kitchen shears onto the floor and walks over to the door to pick up her handbag.

"Get over here and help me!" I demand.

Reaching for the doorknob, she turns and looks at me with an expression of misplaced pity.

"You definitely need help, Kate, but I can't help you any more. It's beyond me. You need professional help. You're sick. You're toxic, and I can't even stand to be in the same room as you. Goodbye." She opens the door and leaves my apartment.

I swear if I had the use of my arms, I'd give her a middle finger send off.

I'm not worried. I'm her best friend.

_She'll come crawling back to me._

~x~x~x~

Thankfully, Jess had the common decency to alert the building maintenance supervisor to my predicament, and sent him to rescue me. I was not impressed, however, that she also promised him that I would pay a five hundred dollar reward for doing so. On seeing the state of my apartment, and knowing I had been tied up, he had flipped his phone open to call the police. When I refused to allow him to call them, he began to get suspicious.

In the end, I had to bribe him for his silence. The asshole walked out of my apartment with a check for $1000.

As soon as the supervisor left, I decided to take a long, hot shower, to help return the circulation and feeling to my arms.

~x~x~x~

I dress myself in a pair of yoga pants and a tank top and make my way back into the lounge room. I pick up the sofa cushions, pillows, and blanket and put them back where they belong.

Grabbing the remote from the floor, I aim it at the mantel clock. I walk into the kitchen, tiptoe around the scattered contents of the drawers, and reach down to pick up a screwdriver. I then walk over to the mantle clock and open the glass front door.

Reaching my hand inside, I grasp the base of the tiny, wireless, Button and Screw video camera, and detach it using the screwdriver. I then pull out the screw-head camera and the attached digital video recorder, which is approximately the same size as a packet of cigarettes. I disconnect the camera base from the RCA connectors and place it back in its protective case. I then return the original clock screw to its rightful place.

I walk over to my sofa, sit down, and pick up my laptop. I connect the DVR to the laptop using the USB transfer lead. While waiting for the footage to download, I open my documents folder and bring up the file called 'Bucket List'. I spend a little time rearranging the items and create a new goal to be achieved.

I place it at the top of the list.

_#1 – Destroy Edward Cullen._

* * *

**A/N 2 – Apate – In Greek mythology she was the personification of ****deceit, guile, fraud and deception.**

**If you want to get an idea of what Edward's cowboy costume looked like, then just google images of Rob from the GQ photoshoot. Find the pic where he is wearing black, leaning against a wall and grasping his belt and you will see where I got my inspiration.**

**'Evil Incarnate' Shiraz (2004) was produced by R Wines and was sourced from vineyards in the Barossa Valley, Australia's most famous wine region. Other interesting names for their wines were Bitch, Suxx, Evil, Pure Evil and F.U. You have to wonder if the marketing staff were having a bad day.**

**Kopi Luwak coffee beans come from Indonesia and are the most expensive in the world. That may be so, but you will never catch me drinking something that passed through the bum of a small, furry animal.**

**The Button and Screw camera is a real product and you can check it out on YouTube to see how amazing it is for its size.**

**Play list used in this story:**

**- So Hott – Kid Rock_  
_- Cover You In Oil – AC/DC**

**B-o-B xxx**


	7. Shamash & Aya

**A/N - This out-take takes place between chapters 10 and 13 from "Angel Of Corruption" ****written by Drowning in Chaos.**

**Many thanks to FerlaV for allowing me to ride on her coat tails and pre-reading this chapter. **

**Thank you to all who have taken the time to review, favourite, or alert. You make my day.  
**

**This chapter is unbeta'ed. Feel free to mock me for any errors. Please suspend disbelief if I've unwittingly researched and written something incorrectly...or just blame Google for leading me astray.**

**I don't own Twilight or Wayne's World. I do, however, own an iPhone that has the same ringtone as Jessica Stanley… you'll see ;)**

**This chapter was originally intended to be Jessica's POV, but Chaz has a girl boner for Mike (Miguel) so I decided to make her day and write it from his POV instead.**

* * *

**Shamash and Aya**

Mike POV

Saturday Evening

Beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…beep…thud… beep…beep…thud.

I breathe out a sigh onto the back of her neck, grateful that she could hit the snooze button on her obnoxious alarm clock without me surrendering my hold of her warm, soft body. I pull her closer to me and begin kissing her shoulders.

"Mmmmm," she moans, and then wiggles her ass against my hardening dick. "God, Mike…are you on Viagra or Cialis or something? I can't believe you're up for it again! How many times have we done it since this morning? I think I've lost count."

As much as a part of me thinks it would like to sink into her warm, wet pussy again, I actually hiss at the sensation of her grinding on me, and I move my hips away from her. I lean my forehead on the back of her shoulder and scrunch up my eyes in pain and embarrassment, thankful that she can't see my face.

"Uh, babe, I think we may have to stop it right there. I'm actually feeling a bit sore from over-use," I sheepishly admit.

It's 8:00PM and Jess and I have spent the whole day in bed. In between multiple rounds of sex, we've talked, slept and watched TV. We only got out of bed to get food and drinks or to use the bathroom. It's been the best day…ever. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and now I have to get up and get ready for work. Jess loosens herself from my embrace and rolls over to look at me. She drapes her right arm over my hip and then plants a quick kiss on my lips.

"I'm sorry I wore you out, sexy boy," she apologizes, and then gives me a look of mock pity. However, I can tell she's feeling quite pleased with herself.

"I hate to tell you this, Jess, but you don't look sorry at all. You're not a very good actress. Maybe you should stick to your day job."

Jess gives me a playful slap on my ass, and I utter a small yelp of surprise at the unexpected sting. Before I can retaliate, she has rolled off the bed and hit the floor. She is giggling hysterically, and I peer over the side of the bed to make sure she is okay. I make a grab for her, but she scrambles away and then sprints toward the en suite. Although I lost that particular battle, it was not in vain. I just got to watch her delicious, naked, tits and ass jiggle as she made her hasty retreat.

"I knew it!" Jess exclaims loudly from within the confines of the en suite. "The only reason you want to keep me around is because of my day job!"

I laugh at her comment. "Well, who wouldn't want to be in a relationship with a masseuse? Keeping you around means I get all the free back massages I could ever want."

Jess pokes her head around the door and blows a raspberry at me. I pick up one of the pillows and throw it at her, missing by a mile. Jess breaks out into another fit of giggles.

"I hate to tell you this, Mike, but your throwing arm sucks! You're not a very good pitcher. Maybe you should stick to your day job," she says teasingly, and then disappears into the en suite again as I threaten to throw another pillow at her.

I hear her start up the shower. As much as I would love to join her in there, I just know that she wouldn't be able to keep her hands off my dick. Anyway, with the way it's feeling right now, I think I'd probably start crying like a little girl as soon as the water touched it.

I roll off the bed and go in search of my clothes. I need to head home and get ready for work. I can only thank God that I'm not stripping tonight. The mere thought of having to put a cock ring over my Johnson just makes my dick and balls want to crawl back up inside my body. Tonight I'll be supervising Jared, one of the new dancers, and queuing the music and props for him. The gig is for a bachelorette party, so he'll be thrown in the deep end.

Finding my underwear, I'm in two minds as to whether I should put them on or go commando. Deciding that I don't want the rough inner seam of my jeans to come in direct contact with my chafed cock, I put my boxer briefs on and let out a silent scream. I decide then and there that next time Jess and I are alone, and away from the bedroom, I will broach the subject of alternative forms of contraception and getting tested. I know that I want to be with Jess for the foreseeable future, and clearly, condoms are not working out for me.

I am fully dressed and sitting on the end of the bed, waiting with my keys in hand, when Jess finishes showering. She steps back into the bedroom and walks to her dresser. Pulling out a tank-top and a pair of skimpy sleep shorts, she gets dressed for bed. Just as she is in mid-stride to come over to stand in between my legs to give me a goodbye kiss, her Blackberry chirps.

"Just let me check this first," Jess says, and then walks over to her bedside table to pick up her Blackberry. She reads the message and her brow furrows with what looks to be an expression of confusion.

"Is it about your gran again?" I ask with concern. Jess had been receiving text updates from her mom on the condition of her grandmother. She had been taken to the hospital with chest pains in the early hours of this morning. They were still waiting on test results to see if she'd had a heart attack or not.

"No, it's a message from Kate. She needs me to go over to her apartment urgently and wants to know how soon I can get there," Jess says, reading the text to me.

"Did she say why?"

"No, she doesn't say, and the weird part is that when Kate usually texts me, she uses SMS abbreviations. It drives me insane. Half the time when she sends me a message I end up having to run it through a text-speak translator to understand what the hell it means. This message has no text-speak at all. Something's not quite right," Jess muses aloud.

I find myself biting my own tongue to prevent myself from saying what I really want to say. _Not quite right? You can say that again, sweetheart, because that girl is definitely not right in the head! In fact, Jess, your 'best' friend is a Psycho Hose Beast who needs to get a fucking clue! _

Part of me is praying that Jess will ignore the text or tell her friend to "_fuck off and die_," but I can see she is returning the text message. I already know that Jess is under the thumb in that friendship, and that she will be at Kate's beck and call.

"So, are you going over there then?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, I am. Would you mind giving me a ride? It's not that far from where you live."

"Sure, no problem," I reply.

"Okay, well I'll just need to get dressed and then pack a few things just in case Kate wants me to stay overnight. Are you able to wait for five minutes? Otherwise, I can just catch a cab."

"I've got about an hour until I have to pick up Jared for his gig, so I can wait for you."

**~x~x~x~**

I park the car across the street from Kate's building and lean over the center console to kiss Jess goodnight.

"Can I see you tomorrow?" I ask.

"Of course you can," Jess says with a wide smile and then kisses me again.

"Maybe we can get something to eat and then afterward, perhaps we can visit your gran? I know how worried you are about her.

"You are the sweetest man, ever. How did I get so lucky?" she muses.

I reply by giving her another kiss, because I have no answer for that question. I've been wondering the very same thing about her. What did I do to deserve such a sweet, funny and gorgeous girl?

Breaking the kiss, I open my door, get out, and then walk around the car to meet Jess. Taking her hand in mine, we walk across the road to the Terry Denny Building. Jess teases me because I'm apparently, "walking funny." Recounting the Monty Python skit we had watched earlier on in the day, she then goes on to say that I should apply to the _'Ministry of Silly Walks'_ for a government grant to develop it. I give her a mock scowl of disapproval, which just makes her laugh. I love her laugh, and there is no way I could stay mad at her for long. I just roll my eyes at her instead.

We reach the front door, and give each other another kiss. "So...I'll see you tomorrow. Just send me a text or an email to let me know if you want me to pick you up from here or at your place. I'll pick you up around midday, and then we'll get lunch and go to the hospital."

"Okay, I'll see you then. Bye," she says and breathes out a sigh. Jess presses a button on the intercom panel and a few seconds later, the security lock of the door disengages.

I turn and start walking back to my car. Once again, I can hear Jess giggling at my predicament.

"Hey, Mike?"

I turn around to look at her, expecting another ribbing, but instead she pulls something out of her massive handbag. She tosses the item at me and says, "Catch!"

On instinct, I catch what appears to be a small red container with black writing on it. Turning it around to read the writing, I see the words "_Pawpaw Ointment_".

"What's this?" I ask.

"It's a cure-all miracle cream that I buy online. I swear by the stuff. Be sure to put some on when you get home. It will help to soothe the chafing and hopefully, by the time you have to start work, it will stop you from looking like you are walking around with a stick up your ass."

I let out a huff in exasperation, and Jess starts laughing again. She enters the building and then disappears from my view.

**~x~x~x~**

**From:** Jess Stanley jstan1989 .net

**To:** Michael Newton

**Sent:** Sat, 29 May, 2010 22:16:07 PM

**Subject:** Home

Hey, sexy boy.

Just letting you know that you can pick me up from my place tomorrow. I didn't stay at Kate's for long.

I can't wait to see you again. I really need you to hold me.

J xxxx

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

* * *

I stare at the email on my phone. From the gist of the message I can tell something is wrong.

**From:** Michael Newton

**To:** Jess Stanley jstan1989 .net

**Sent:** Sat, 29 May, 2010 22:20:16 PM

**Subject:** Re: Home

Hey, gorgeous girl.

Are you ok? What's wrong? From your last message, you seem a bit sad.

Is everything still ok with your gran?

Mike x

Mike Newton

Senior staff supervisor

Eclipse Entertainment

Sent from my iPhone

* * *

**From:** Jess Stanley jstan1989 .net

**To:** Michael Newton

**Sent:** Sat, 29 May, 2010 22:24:33 PM

**Subject:** Re: Home

Hey,

Gran is fine. Mom sent a message to say she is stable. They will monitor her overnight and give her some drugs to thin her blood. She's got a small clot near her heart. Tomorrow morning they may do a procedure to put in a thingy called a stent to open up a blocked vessel. We will have to wait and see if she feels well enough for visitors in the afternoon.

J xxx

P.S. My mom says she is looking forward to meeting you (Be afraid…be very afraid).

;-)

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

* * *

Although her last message has some humor in it, I can tell that there is still something bothering her. She completely avoided telling me what was wrong…why she needed me to hold her. _I wonder if it was something to do with Kate._ _If that bitch has done anything to hurt my girl, I'll_…

I suddenly become aware of a lull in the atmosphere around me.

"Shit! Sorry, man." I quickly hand over some props to Jared and cue up the next song. Tone Loc's "Wild Thing" blares out from the speakers, breaking the silence. I mentally berate myself for becoming so distracted. I've let Jared down through my inattention to his routine. I'll have to give him an extra fifty bucks as an apology, and I'll offer the host a discount. I put my phone back in my pocket and concentrate on my job.

**~x~x~x~**

Wednesday Afternoon (18 days later)

**When I c U, I want 2 fuk U.**

**XXX**

I look at the text message on my phone and let out a small chuckle. Obviously, Jess is feeling horny. We haven't seen each other since the weekend, and I know that she is missing me as much as I'm missing her. I write a reply.

**I want U 2 ride me hard. ;)**

**M**

I send the text and wait for her reply. I'm in the office organizing the assignments for the next few weeks. Things are going to be pretty busy. I'm thankful that I had the foresight to hire both Jared and Sam before Edward quit. They've fitted into the roster quite well and are really enthusiastic about picking up as many gigs as they can.

**Ill dress ^ 4 U & ride U like a stallion. Reverse cowgirl.**

**XXX**

I start to feel myself get hard at the thought of Jess sitting on top of me, riding me while I grab handfuls of her ass. I'm now grateful that I'm in the office by myself. The receptionist left early today as she was feeling unwell. I'd hate for someone, like Maggie, to walk in on me while I'm at full-mast. I'm in the middle of sending her another text when the ringtone, specifically for Jess, starts playing.

_Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo…_

I start laughing, as I do whenever Jess rings me, because the ringtone is so funny. I still have no idea when she managed to reprogram my phone to change her ringtone. I love her playful spirit and sense of humor…well…except for the time we were having dinner with my parents.

We were at a very expensive restaurant, and Jess was meeting my parents for the first time. Jess had left to go to the bathroom and on the way back to the table, she decided to ring me. While deep in conversation with my dad, my phone rang, and I spent a good thirty seconds, flustered and fumbling to get my phone out of my suit pants before I could manage to turn it off. Thankfully, my mom was clueless…however, my dad wasn't. Having been in the navy at one time, during his career as a lawyer, he was well versed in the NATO alphabet. Dad, being the smart man he is, had worked out what Jess was doing and thought it was hilarious.

_Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo_

_Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo_

_Put the you know what in the you know where_

_Put the you know what in the you know where…_

"Hey, gorgeous girl. Did you decide that it was time to progress to phone sex instead of sexting?"

"What?"

"You know, what you were just suggesting a minute ago? Talk me through how you're going to ride me. You got me all hard just thinking about it."

"Mike, I have no idea what you are talking about. I haven't been texting you."

"Yeah, yeah, very funny, Jess."

"I'm not joking, Mike. I finished work early and I was just ringing to see if you were free tonight. I'm feeling a bit down, and I really miss you. Have you been sexting with someone?" Jess asks, lowering her voice.

"Oh, shit! It must have been a wrong number. Damn! Well…that's err…slightly embarrassing," I say, and then let out a small chuckle. "I'm so sorry, babe. I really thought it was you that sent me those naughty messages. It was definitely you that I was imagining when you…I mean they, mentioned riding me reverse cowgirl style."

"Hmmm, really," Jess says, drawing out the last word. It sounds like she is intrigued. Hopefully, this means Jess wants to sex me up over the phone…for real.

"Yeah, really," I reply in a husky voice. "It made me hard just thinking about grabbing you and watching your delicious ass as you bounce and writhe on top of me. In fact, my dick is getting hard again, and I need to touch myself."

"Um…Mike, I can't do this right now. I'm not exactly in a private place."

"Where are you?"

"I'm visiting with Gran," she explains.

Just then I hear Ruby Stanley's hoarse voice in the background as she asks if Jess is talking to me. Jess confirms that she is and then there is a slight scuffling sound.

"Hello, Michael! How have you been?" Ruby wheezes, and then gives a hacking, cough into the phone.

The sound of her raspy, old voice and phlegmy smokers cough is an instant boner killer.

Five minutes later, I finally get Ruby to hand the phone back to Jess, and we confirm plans to have dinner at my place tonight. Just as I hang up another text message arrives.

**Whr did U go sexC boi? Did U hav 2 tAk cAR of somTIN dat sudNlE came ^? K8 XXX  
**

I try to read the message three times to decipher it, but can't work it out. I recall what Jess said about running messages through a text speech translator. I Google the words, 'SMS translator', and find a website called, 'transL8it!' I type in the message and hit the button. When I see the result, I realize that the texts were intended for me all along…and my blood runs cold.

**where did you go sexy boy? Did you have to take care of something that suddenly came up? Kate XXX**

**~x~x~x~**

Wednesday Evening

Jess and I are sitting on her sofa, and I have her cradled in my arms. She is sobbing her heart out, and I feel like shit for being a blind, stupid man. Apparently, I have been oblivious to what has been going on with Jess for the last few weeks. Since that Saturday night, when Jess got the late night text from Kate, Jess has been holding onto a monumental secret; a secret that has been eating away at her insides.

When I arrived at Jess' an hour ago, to take her over to my place, I noticed that she looked really tired, like she hadn't been sleeping well. When I asked her what was going on, she became silent and then said she didn't want to, "do this right now". I felt like my heart was going to implode, and I got really scared. For some reason, I got an idea into my head that she was mad at me over the sexting incident that had occurred earlier on in the day. I was afraid she was going to leave me, so I mentioned that I received another text, and had I known that it was Kate texting me, I would have ignored her messages.

When I mentioned Kate's name, Jess' expression became one of horror. I showed her the messages I had received and Jess confirmed they were from Kate's phone. I felt sick that I had unwittingly played into her game. From there Jess told me everything that had happened. She told me what she had found when she got to the apartment; Kate tied to a chair; the ransacked apartment and the pictures on the laptop that were left open for her to find. She told me how she had broken off her friendship with Kate and left her tied up.

Jess had cried when she told me about what had become of Henry Varner. She had been feeling guilty that she hadn't told anyone about the evidence she had seen on the laptop, and had been plagued by nightmares. She went on to tell me how she suspected that Edward had been the one to tie Kate up, but couldn't be sure why he had done it. She had suspected that he was probably being blackmailed in some way; just like Henry Varner had been blackmailed.

I confided to Jess that I had run into Edward's cousin, Emmett, in the street a few days ago. I had asked him how Edward was going, and if he had started his new job. Emmett had told me that Edward wasn't doing so well because he and Bella had split up. Given the timing of the breakup, Jess and I concluded that Kate was probably to blame. Jess was worried that since Kate had directed her attention on me, that I was probably her next target, and I was going to leave her. That's when Jess had started crying again.

"Shhhhhh. Jess, baby, I'm not going to leave you. I would never leave you over this, and I especially wouldn't leave you for someone like Kate. I promise." I kissed her temple as her tears continued to soak the collar of my shirt.

"You sh-should leave m-me," she stuttered out between sobs. "I'm a…I'm a horrible, shallow person. I didn't tell anyone about what I found. I've been withholding the truth because I'm scared of Kate and what she will do to me, or to you."

"Babe, I understand. That girl is a really nasty piece of work. From the things you have mentioned, and some of the things I have seen, I get the impression that over the years, Kate has been controlling you. She's slowly but surely driven most of your old friends away, until there was only her left. Jess looks up at me with a look of bewilderment, as if the truth has suddenly become apparent.

"You really think so?" Jess asks, looking skeptical.

"For years, Kate has manipulated you and made you doubt yourself, and in some ways she made you dependent on her. For example, I bet that the reason you still feel so reluctant to get your driver's license, is a consequence of her behavior. You mentioned that the one and only time she offered to give you a practical driving lesson, she scared the living shit out of you. You said that she told you that you were a bad driver and shouldn't be allowed behind a steering wheel again. You told me that you never bothered to keep learning after that episode. She probably thought that if you got your license, you would become more independent, and she wouldn't be able to control your social life as easily."

"I su-suppose," she said, between shuddering breaths and sobs.

"I guess you and I need to decide how we are going to deal with all of this. Obviously, holding onto this secret has been making you feel guilty, and it's starting to affect you. Ignoring the issue has not made it go away, and ignoring Kate is not going to prevent her from interfering in our lives."

"She's sick, Mike. She's becoming destructive and has no empathy or remorse. Her behavior is becoming dangerous. She needs to be stopped. She needs to get professional help, but there is no way that she'll voluntarily seek it."

"Then we'll need to work out a way for it to happen…involuntarily."

"Henry Varner!" Jess exclaims. "We need to work out if Kate can somehow be held responsible for the death of Henry Varner. If we can prove that Kate was the reason he killed himself, then she can be investigated. If the truth of her behavior comes out, she'll be forced into getting the help she needs."

"Hmmm. I'm not sure about that, but maybe we can talk to my dad. He'll know."

**~x~x~x~**

Thursday Evening

Dad, Jess and I are sitting around the kitchen table of my childhood home. For the last hour, we have been discussing Kate and Henry Varner. Unfortunately, the news is not good.

"You see, in order to implicate this girl in the death of Henry Varner, there has to be undeniable proof that she either forced this man to commit suicide, or that it was her intention for him to kill himself," Dad states.

"But...she sent the photos to his house for his wife to see. Because of those pictures, his wife was going to leave him and take his children away. She _drove_ him to suicide," Jess protests.

"Mailing photos of two adults engaging in consensual sexual acts is not proof of intent to kill. Intent to blackmail, maybe, but there would have to be overwhelming evidence that this woman was intending to obtain some sort of gain through an agreement to withhold the information. Sending pictures to Mrs. Varner, even ones proving her husband's infidelity, is not a crime. Similarly, if Kate had asked the man to leave his wife, or asked him for money, that too is not a crime. However, if she made demands for money or other personal gain, in _exchange_ for _withholding_ the photos detailing his indiscretions, that then is considered to be blackmail, which _is_ a crime," my dad explained.

"So what you're saying is that two rights can, in fact, make a wrong," I say, realizing how convoluted the law can be.

"Yes. It's called 'The Paradox of Blackmail', and it is one of the most difficult intellectual arguments in criminal law. Unless you have irrefutable evidence that a demand or threat was made in order for her to gain something, it will be hard to prove it was blackmail. With Henry Varner being deceased, it will be virtually impossible, unless you have the tangible evidence."

"What kind of evidence? Jess asks"

"Video footage or audio recordings in which a direct threat to expose his infidelity has been made, unless he complies with a demand. Also documents such as hand-written letters, records of text conversations or emails, that sort of thing," Dad says.

Jess looks at me, and I can see that she is already formulating a plan. She raises a single eyebrow at me, and without words, I know she's asking me if I'm in.

I give Jess a small nod in confirmation...because I'll do anything for her.

* * *

**A/N 2 - Shamash = Mesopotamian Sun God who defended justice and punished wrongdoers. Just as the sun disperses darkness, so Shamash brings wrong and injustice to light. His consort was the Goddess, Aya, who was firmly associated with the rising sun, and with sexual love and youth.**

**Play list**

**- Tone Loc - Wild Thing**

**- Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo - The Bloodhound Gang **

**B-o-B xxx**


	8. Pandora

**A/N - This out-take takes place after chapter 13 from "Angel Of Corruption" ****written by Drowning in Chaos**

**Thank you for your kind reviews. They mean the world to me. **

**Please suspend disbelief if I've unwittingly researched and written something incorrectly... or just blame Google for leading me astray.**

**Stephenie Meyer and Summit…yada yada…copyright infringement…yada. I don't own The Simpsons either. I do, however, own tickets to see Muse on Wednesday. Yay me!**

* * *

**Pandora**

Mike POV

Friday Afternoon

For three hours, Jess and I have been sitting in a booth inside the Jimmy John's on 1st Avenue South. We've been here since it opened at ten, and we've been forced to purchase sandwiches and cookies we didn't really want or need, just so the staff wouldn't kick us out for loitering. Our position near the window gives us a direct line of sight to the entrance of Kate's apartment. Just as I am contemplating giving up and going home, Kate finally emerges from the front entrance of her building.

"There she is. Let's go." I stand and grab my phone and keys from the table top, and we step outside into the warm sunlight. "Good luck, gorgeous girl. Make sure you keep your phone on at all times. When you're done, meet me at the Waterfall Garden Park around the corner, okay?"

"Okay," Jess agrees.

I give her a quick kiss, and leave to follow Kate. Jess makes her way across the street to Kate's apartment. Thankfully, Jess still has her emergency key, so getting in shouldn't be a problem, unless Kate has changed the locks. I tail Kate, leaving a good distance between us. I stay on the opposite side of the street, so as not to be too obvious. She talks on her cell phone the entire time, as she walks north along the avenue.

After walking for about five minutes, Kate stops in front of a Starbucks and walks up to a man who is waiting by one of the outside tables. I look for a place to continue monitoring Kate, and settle on standing just inside the doorway of the Pacific Drug store. From my vantage point, I can see that the man looks to be old enough to be Kate's father. The man is tall, balding, and he's wearing glasses. I take a photo with my phone and send it to Jess. Jess calls me and tells me the man is not her dad. He is apparently one of her professors from school. She thinks his name might be Green, Greene or something that starts with Green. Even without Jess' confirmation, the body language occurring between them would have definitely told me they weren't father and daughter. Kate's hands are partially visible beneath the bottom hem of his suit jacket, as she gropes his ass while they kiss in greeting.

The man breaks the kiss, and they go into the store, presumably to order coffee. When they return outside with their drinks, they sit next to each other at a table. Kate is attempting to show the man affection by placing one hand high up on his thigh, while the other is playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. The man is brushing her off and looking around suspiciously, as if he hopes no one is watching them. Kate appears to be annoyed at having her advances spurned, and it looks as if they are going to start an argument. I am just hopeful that Kate stays away for at least another fifteen minutes, which should hopefully be enough time for Jess to make a clone copy of the hard drive from Kate's laptop.

After speaking with my dad last night, Jess and I decided that we needed to see if there was any more evidence on Kate's laptop. Hopefully, we'd find something that would prove Henry Varner was being blackmailed. Once we got home, I rang Garrett to get advice on how to go about copying all the information from one computer to another. Garrett is the IT geek who sets up and maintains the computers at Eclipse Entertainment. He was a wealth of information and emailed me some detailed instructions on how to use a free program called Clonezilla. Following his instructions, I made a disk that Jess would need to put in Kate's laptop to boot up the cloning program. Garrett mentioned that we would probably need a portable hard disk drive. I didn't have one, but Garrett had generously offered to loan me one that I could use for as long as I need.

As I continue to watch the scene across the street, I can see that Kate and the man are in the middle of a heated discussion. Suddenly, Kate stands and starts yelling at the man. She then picks up her coffee and tips it into his lap. The man quickly stands up and almost looks as though he is going to viciously grab her upper arms and shake her, but has second thoughts when he sees that they have the attention of some bystanders. Kate says something to the man and then picks up her bag. She turns and starts walking quickly back in the direction of her apartment. I'm worried that if Kate gets back to her apartment too soon, Jess will have to abort the download before we have all the data. I quickly send Jess a text.

**How much time do U need 2 finish the D/Load? K8 is returning. U hav 5 mins.**

I leave the doorway of the drug store and follow Kate. Once again, I stay on the opposite side of the street.

_Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo  
Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo_

"Jess! She's on her way back, and she's walking pretty fast. You need to get out of there now!" I say, in a panic.

"It's about halfway complete. I just need ten more minutes," Jess says.

"No, you need to pack up and leave. You've probably only got four more minutes left. Get out! We'll try again another day."

"We won't have another opportunity. The maintenance guy saw me come in, and he asked me what I was doing. He saw what happened last time I was here. He knows I left Kate tied to a chair. I told him I needed to get some of my things back, and didn't want to see Kate. He said that I could come in and grab my belongings, but I have to give him my key when I leave," Jess explains.

"Shit!"

"Mike, I need you to stall Kate for a while. It's the only way that I'll be able to clone all the information from the laptop," Jess begs.

The thought of having to have a face-to-face conversation with Kate makes my skin crawl, but it's the only chance that we'll be able to obtain any evidence if we hope to get Kate out of our lives, and give Henry Varner some posthumous justice.

"Okay. Just call me once you are safely out of the building and then meet me at the park as we agreed. Please be careful."

"I promise," she says and then hangs up the phone.

I decide to run ahead and cross the road at the next set of traffic lights, so that I can double back and intersect Kate's path. I wait inside the doorway of the ArtREsource building until I can see that she is close. I step forward onto the footpath and pretend to be looking at the ground when I shoulder-bump her.

"Hey, watch it, asshole!" Kate snaps, giving me a filthy glare. However, her expression changes as soon as she realizes it's me. "Oh, Michael, I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you," she simpers.

_It's Mike, bitch! I fucking hate being called 'Michael'. _"Kate, what a surprise!" I say, cringing internally at the enthusiasm I put into my voice. I silently pray to God that Kate doesn't bring up the sexting conversation from two days ago.

"What are you doing here?" Kate asks.

"Oh…um…just a bit of shopping and…stuff." I turn and look at the building next to me and see the door for the gallery that is to the right of the framing shop entry. "It's my mom's birthday next month, and I'm looking at buying her some art work," I lie.

"This place is a little out of your price range, don't you think?" Kate asks, arching an eyebrow.

"Uh…yeah. I quickly discovered that I was out of my league," I say, sheepishly. I have absolutely no fucking clue if I could, in fact, afford anything from the gallery, as I've never been in there. However, I just play along and hope that Jess is in the process of leaving Kate's apartment.

"So is the Dali etching still up there?" Kate enquires. "I was thinking it would look great up on my bedroom wall." Kate peers over my shoulder to look at the building with a look of hope on her face. I can only shrug.

I know of the particular etching that Kate is referring to. Jess had told me all about it as we drove past the gallery; the night that I had dropped her off at Kate's apartment. Jess had told me that Kate had been thinking about purchasing it. According to Jess, it was an ugly dry-point engraving called, '_Sexe'_, and it looked like a woman's hairy pussy. Jess said she couldn't work out if the pussy was situated in the middle of a woman's disembodied abdomen, or if it was on a shield. Apparently, it also had what looked like puncture wounds drawn around it. Jess couldn't understand why Kate liked it so much. Knowing what I now know of Kate, the words "_self portrait_" come to my mind…_because_ _this girl is definitely a cun-_ Kate suddenly grabs a hold of my hand and starts dragging me toward the doorway.

"Come inside and I'll show it to you. I want your opinion." She presses the intercom button for the gallery that is on the second floor. I reluctantly allow her to lead me inside, knowing that this will buy Jess some more time.

I am standing in front of what I believe to be the weirdest piece of art work I have ever seen. Jess is right. It's a pussy…a weird, anatomically mutilated pussy. I don't know art, but I know that this is the ugliest thing I have ever seen in a picture frame. And I'm a man who loves pussy! If I ever had the misfortune to get my face close to a woman who looked like this, I'd be asking the poor girl where the rest of her lady parts went. I don't understand the point of this picture at all.

"So, what do you think? Should I buy it?" Kate asks.

"How much is it?" I'm curious to know what a steaming pile of crap like this is worth.

"$10,500," Kate announces, matter-of-factly.

_Just further proof that money can't buy taste. _"Oh, I think you should definitely buy it. It's totally…you," I reply, and try to rein in the laugh that is threatening to escape. It ends up coming out as a choked sound that I try to disguise by coughing.

"Why, thank you, Michael." Kate simpers again.

Kate walks away to find the gallery director. It seems that after my recommendation, Kate is more determined than ever to purchase the _'Pretentious Pussy Portrait'_.

_Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo_

"Praise Jeebus," I mutter under my breath and answer the call.

"I'm on my way to the park. Mission accomplished," Jess says triumphantly.

"Excellent. I'll see you soon," I say quietly, and hang up. I see Kate walking toward me with the gallery director in tow. "Uh…I just received an important phone call, and I need to go." Kate's expression becomes crestfallen at my words. "Well, it's been…interesting," I say, and I glance up once more at the hideous picture. "Maybe I'll see you around some other time." _When hell freezes over. _"Bye, Kate," I say and turn to walk toward the stairs.

"Oh, okay, bye then. Thanks for helping me out with your opinion. This picture is definitely going to look great on my bedroom wall. Maybe you should come over some time and see it mounted," Kate says, raising her voice, as I am halfway down the stairs. I pretend that I didn't hear her double entendre and not-so-subtle invitation to see the inside of her bedroom. I sprint down the steps, taking them two at a time and burst out the front door of the gallery, into the busy street.

**~x~x~x~**

Friday Evening

It was 8:30PM, when I arrived home to find Jess sitting cross-legged on my sofa and searching through the cloned version of Kate's laptop. This afternoon, Garrett had come through for us yet again. Stopping off on his way home from work, he had kindly brought over a disused laptop that had been left lying around after the company had upgraded their equipment. Just as Garrett was helping me to set up the laptop to transfer the data, I'd received a call from Maggie. She had informed me that Stephan had fallen ill and was unable to do the gig he was booked for. Rather than ringing around to find a replacement, I had decided to do the gig myself. I'd left Jess in my apartment to search for evidence against Kate. Thankfully, it was a 7:00PM gig, so I was able to come home and have some dinner with Jess.

"So did you find anything interesting or helpful to our cause?" I ask, just as we are sitting down to start our meal.

"Interesting, yes. Specifically helpful to our Henry Varner case, no."

"Damn. You mean we went through all that espionage bullshit for nothing?"

"Not exactly. Although I couldn't find any more evidence to confirm blackmail toward Mr. Varner, I did find some damning emails that will hopefully help us to build another case against Kate. For instance, it seems that the guy Kate was with today was Marcus Greenwood. Up until last week, he was Kate's Biotechnology professor. It appears that she is currently blackmailing him with photos that she took of the two of them i_n flagrante delicto. _From what I can deduce, Kate didn't do so well in her exams, and it looks like she is using the photos as leverage to make him change her final grade. If he doesn't change her grade, she will effectively end his career by claiming sexual harassment and professorial misconduct. She is threatening to use the photos as evidence of their sexual relationship," Jess explains.

"So even though she was probably the one who pursued Greenwood, she can still claim sexual harassment?"

"Yes she can. I did some online research, and it seems that as her professor, Marcus Greenwood is deemed as being in a position of responsibility and authority over Kate. Even if the sex was consensual, or instigated by Kate, the relationship is seen as asymmetrical due to his high standing within the academic faculty. The fact that he is much older than her also puts him in a perceived position of power."

"So if we report this, what's to stop Kate from claiming sexual harassment? She could just turn around and say that Greenwood victimized her and gave her poor grades. She could claim that she had to resort to blackmail in order to fight back."

"Well, if this was an isolated case, then we would potentially have a problem. However, from the email evidence I found, it seems that Kate has similarly seduced and blackmailed four of her professors, threatening either their careers or marriages. They are Marcus Greenwood, Aro Volturi, Alec Meyer and Michelle Cope. We can presume that Henry Varner was also blackmailed, but apart from the photos, there's no other proof. He obviously called her bluff though, and Kate followed through with her threat."

I take a sip of my water to get over a coughing fit, having nearly choked on a mouthful of food. "Whoa! Did you just say Michelle Cope, as in Kate seduced a woman in order to get better grades?"

"In the case of Michelle Cope, it was not only to get better grades. Kate had the woman falsifying attendance records and submitting assignments that she herself had written on Kate's behalf. I'm beginning to question if Kate has earned a single honest grade throughout her academic career. I suspect now, that she did it all on her back with her legs in the air," Jess says, with an incredulous expression on her face. "I am so stupid. I can't believe that I thought I knew her. I can't believe that I ever thought of her as my best friend."

"So now that we have the ammunition, we need to expose Kate for who she really is. How are we going to go about it? What we have done is illegal, too," I state.

"I think we have two choices. We could anonymously mail copies of all the photos and emails to the Academic Integrity Code Administrator and hope that they will accept the evidence and launch an investigation. The other option is that we can anonymously contact each of these professors. We tell them about all the evidence and explain that they are not the only ones being blackmailed, but we won't mention who else is involved. We can say that they have until the end of business hours on Monday to report themselves, and Kate, to the AIC Administrator, or _we_ will forward the information ourselves. If any of them refuses, their case will probably be looked on less favorably if the others come forward voluntarily."

"What option do you prefer?" I ask her, knowing I like the second option, but will go with whatever she chooses.

"I prefer the second option. That way they are all handing in their own evidence, and hopefully nothing can be traced back to us."

"Sounds like a plan," I say, and continue eating the rest of my meal before it becomes too cold.

**~x~x~x~**

Saturday Morning

Jess and I have spent the last forty-five minutes driving around from payphone to payphone, making anonymous calls to the four professors. Hopefully, the best outcome from all of this is that Kate will be stopped and won't be able to hurt anyone else. She will be prosecuted or get psychiatric help or hopefully, both. In some ways, I feel kind of guilty that by opening this Pandora's Box, it will probably mean the end of the professors' careers, but then again, they are partly to blame. They ultimately allowed themselves to be seduced by Kate and then committed acts of misconduct. They allowed themselves to be in a position to be blackmailed, unlike Edward. That poor, poor bastard. I can understand now why he hasn't been doing so well, and why Bella probably dumped him. Jess and I are currently en route to Edward's place to make a special delivery.

After our dinner last night, Jess had shown me why it had taken her so long to get out of Kate's apartment. On opening Kate's laptop, she had seen two icons in the middle of the screen called 'Edward Unedited' and 'Edward Final'. Curiosity had gotten the better of her. She had clicked the icon called, 'Edward Final', and was shocked at what she saw in the thirty seconds of footage. She then clicked on the unedited version and saw that there was video footage that ran for almost an hour. She had skimmed through the video and realized that what she was viewing, had occurred the night Kate had texted her to come to the apartment, or rather, Edward had been the one to text her. She then realized that Kate had done to Edward, what she had also done to Henry Varner; Bella had probably seen the edited version of the video and come to her own conclusions, not realizing that it was completely out of context. Jess, remembering that she was on limited time, stopped the video and cloned the laptop to the external hard drive using Garrett's detailed instructions.

Once the cloning process had completed, Jess was about to close Kate's laptop and leave when she decided that since Edward had helped her, she would repay the favor. Jess had deleted the two video files from the desktop and then quickly checked the laptop for any other video files of Edward, but didn't find any. Realizing that Kate would instantly notice the video icons were missing from the desktop, she decided to replace the videos. In a stroke of genius, that was just purely Jessica Stanley, she Googled the phrase, '_ugly male stripper'_.

Jess downloaded a video of some old, portly guy with man-boobs doing a lap-dance for his lady in the middle of a party. It was hilarious and kind of sweet actually, but just the thought of Kate seeing this video, instead of the one of Edward, made me grin every time it came to mind. Jess had copied and pasted it on the desktop, twice, and renamed the icons as '_Edward Final_' and '_Edward Unedited_'.

Jess had gone on to explain that she felt incredibly guilty for what Edward had gone through. She had told me that she had been the one to inform Kate about Edward working as a stripper, and had shown her the pictures from Bella's party. Knowing that Kate had a thing for Edward, she had booked him to perform at Tanya Denali's farewell party, specifically with her friend in mind. At the time she had not realized that Edward and Bella were a couple, but admitted that she couldn't be certain if that knowledge, back then, would have changed her actions. Jess also felt that as a consequence of her actions, she further encouraged Kate to pursue Edward, and as a result was blameworthy for the break-up between Edward and Bella.

After some discussion, we decided to make a DVD copy of the video footage, showing both the edited and unedited versions. I said that if Edward needed proof that he was an unwilling victim in Kate's game, then the DVD would go some way to proving his innocence, as long as Bella was willing to give him a chance to explain what really happened. Jess had decided that she needed to apologize to both Edward and Bella, but didn't think she could face them in person. In the end, I'd suggested that if she felt too embarrassed to face them, then perhaps she could write them both a letter of explanation and apology. And so she did.

I turn into Edward's street and then park the car in front of the house, next to the sidewalk. I can see that Edward is home as his car is in the driveway. I reach into the glove compartment and pull out the DVD and letter that Jess wrote to him. From here we plan to stop at Bella's house to post her letter of apology in her letter box.

"I'm not going to be long, but are you sure you want to stay in the car?" I ask.

"Yeah, I'm sure. If I was Edward, I don't think I'd want to see me right now. I'm the girl who encouraged her deranged friend to pursue him, which ended up ruining his relationship with Bella. If I were him, I'd wish me dead," she says in a sad tone, and I can see her tears are starting to well over.

I reach over the center console and cup her cheek in my hand. I look her in the eyes, and her tears break my heart. Jess is wracked by self-loathing because she allowed herself to be deceived by Kate and was her unwitting pawn for so long. I kiss her cheek, and I can taste the saltiness of her despair.

"Babe, I know you're feeling incredibly guilty right now, but I'm sure that in time, Edward will see that you are just as much of a victim in all of this, as he and Bella are. I know Edward, and he's a really good guy. Even so, if he does become angry with you after reading the letter, I'm sure he'll eventually come around. He knows firsthand that Kate is an evil, manipulative bitch. Just remember, we're doing the right thing. We've put our plans into action, and we're going to stop her. We're putting things right and making sure that Kate gets exactly what she deserves."

I reach again into the glove compartment and find a small travel pack of Kleenex. I hand them to Jess, and she takes one gratefully and wipes away her tears. She then takes another one and blows her nose.

"Urgh…I hate crying," Jess complains. She reaches up and flips the sun visor down to look in the small mirror. "Yuck, I'm all puffy. I'm such a snot-sobbing mess."

"Well, I think you're beautiful. You're always beautiful…snot and everything," I say, giving her a grin, and then I lean forward to place playful kisses to her forehead and cheeks.

At this statement, Jess gives a small laugh and shakes her head at me, as if I'm completely insane. Little does she realize; I am insane…I'm insanely in love with her, and I decide that it's time to tell her how I really feel. Suddenly, as if she could read my mind, she looks at me and gives me an adoring smile.

"I love you," I announce, just as those very same words fall from her lips. Time seems to stand still, and I'm suddenly aware that I'm holding my breath. I realize that I was waiting for Jess to either reject my declaration or make some sort of joke; but the rejection never came. It takes a few beats of my heart before my mind actually processes that Jess just told me she loves me.

"Really?" I ask her in wonder, but the question doesn't need words for an answer. The look on her face says it all. She looks just as ecstatic as I feel. Jess throws her arms around me and kisses me deeply.

Breaking the kiss she whispers into my ear, "Yes, I really do," and then kisses a trail along my jaw line back to my lips.

Just as our kiss begins to deepen again, we are suddenly startled apart by a loud banging sound on the roof of the car. I peer out of the window and see the grinning face of Edward and standing not too far behind him is Bella Swan.

_Bella?_

* * *

**A/N 2 Pandora = in Greek mythology, Pandora was given a jar (these days it's commonly referred to as Pandora's Box). She was ordered not to open the jar under any circumstances. Despite this warning, overcome by curiosity Pandora opened the jar. Upon doing so, the evils contained within escaped into the world. Scared, Pandora immediately closed the jar, only to trap Hope inside.**

**B-o-B xxx**


	9. Nemesis

**A/N - This out-take takes place some time (in the future) after chapter 14 from "Angel Of Corruption" ****written by Drowning in Chaos.**

**A huge thank you to everyone who has left a review. They mean a lot to me.  
**

**This chapter is unbeta'ed. Feel free to mock me for any errors. **

**Stephenie Meyer and Summit … something something something...**

**For those of you who wanted to see the pretentious pussy portrait, just Google "Dali sexe arches".**

* * *

**Nemesis**

Doctor Banner M.D. POV

Fairfax Hospital (Behavioral Health)

_Ahhh … coffee. It's just what the doctor ordered_.

I'm walking slowly from the staff room back toward the Acute Care Unit with my steaming, hot cup of coffee; its rich aroma is teasing my nostrils and tantalizing my taste buds. I need a hit of caffeine to give me the strength necessary to get me through the next appointment. Already the tension is building up in my neck and shoulders in anticipation of what I am about to endure.

As I get closer to my office, I roll my neck and take some slow, deep breaths to try to center myself. It's been a long, trying day. Thankfully, I only have one more consultation left for the day, but it's the one I've been dreading the most. Pausing at the front counter of the nurses' station, I stop to speak with Rachel Black, the senior RN of the morning shift.

"Rachel, in about ten minutes I have an appointment with Katherine Curtis. If you are not too busy, I would appreciate it if you could join me in my office to act as a chaperone during the consult, or at least arrange for one of the other female nursing staff to chaperone instead."

Rachel gives me a knowing look and nods agreeably. "Yes, of course, Doctor Banner. I'll just let the other staff know that I will be in your office for a while, so they can monitor my other patients for me."

"Thank you. Also, please see to it that Miss Curtis is appropriately attired this time. Perhaps it would be best if you go and collect her from her room and personally escort her to my office. If you go now, you can make sure she is on time for her appointment. Yesterday, she wasted fifteen minutes of our session because she decided to change into lingerie and a trench coat, just as she was due for her appointment."

"Yes, Doctor." Rachel gives me an amused, but exasperated look, and I know she is trying really hard not to laugh as she walks off in the direction of the patient's room. I pick up the case file I need and make my way to my office.

Miss Curtis has been an involuntary inpatient here in the Acute Care Unit of Fairfax for the last month. She was arrested on charges of coercion to commit murder and attempted murder. Miss Curtis had blackmailed her accomplice, a married lover, into tampering with the brake lines of a rival female. From police and court documents, it was surmised by the prosecutor that by doing away with her rival, Miss Curtis would be free to pursue the victim's boyfriend. It was only by sheer luck that the vehicle was already in need of repair, and therefore, did not start. After her arrest, other aberrant behaviors came to light, and then it was discovered that she was also under preliminary investigation by Seattle University's Academic Integrity Code Administrator for breaches of conduct, which had so far resulted in the suspension of four members of their faculty.

At the end of Miss Curtis's initial court hearing, it was deemed by the trial judge that she was in urgent need of psychiatric evaluation. Throughout cross-examination she refused to answer any questions stating that she was, 'a Goddess,' and that the presiding Judge was unworthy of being in her presence because he was, a dirty foreigner'". Fairfax's Psychiatric Assessment Team was called in order to assess her, and it was found that she had a Cluster B Personality Disorder; specifically Narcissistic Personality Disorder or NPD. She scored the full nine out of nine criteria as outlined in the DSM-IV-TR for NPD. In the twelve years that I have been practicing as a Forensic Psychiatrist, this is the first time I have encountered a female 9 of 9.

In the time since her admission to the ACU, Miss Curtis has been the bane of most of the nursing, medical and allied health staff. Due to her overtly sexual behavior, we have to ensure that she is always chaperoned in the presence of male staff members. Thankfully, she stopped exhibiting such behavior toward the male inpatients within a week of her admission. The reasons for this are two-fold. Firstly, she quickly discovered that many of them lacked any libido, thanks to their pharmacotherapy, and secondly, none of the current male inpatients were, 'hot enough,' for her liking.

I open the door to my office and make my way to the desk. Sitting down, I take a large gulp of my coffee and then open the case file to read over the staff entries for the past 24 hours. According to Angela Weber, the Clinical Therapist, Miss Curtis has been very disruptive during group therapy sessions. Her lack of empathy for others is becoming a huge problem whenever the other members of the group attempt to share information about their lives.

Her intrusive behavior and over-the-top demands regarding her environment, dietary requirements, and treatment plan, have driven our poor Patient Advocate, Leah Clearwater, to distraction. I note that today she had to implement a written behavior contract. This is to stop Miss Curtis from randomly bursting into her office every time she decides that something is, 'Unsuitable for her _unique_ requirements'". Now she is limited to one, pre-scheduled meeting per day to air her grievances.

Emily Young, one of the RN's on the morning shift, reported that there was some sort of altercation between Miss Curtis and Mrs. Claire Ateara. The end result was that urine had been poured over Miss Curtis's belongings, sending her into a rage. Mrs. Ateara had been found babbling incoherently and displaying some other abnormal behaviors, and therefore, had been removed from the room they shared and sent to the infirmary for monitoring.

I close the file, scrub both palms over my face, and let out an exasperated sigh. As a Forensic Psychiatrist my role in Miss Curtis's case is two-fold. Firstly, I am to determine her level of mental competency and to ascertain her ability to understand and rationally participate in a court trial. Secondly, I have to submit an opinion to the court as to whether she had the mental capacity to appreciate the criminality of her conduct at the time of the offence.

To date, all of my encounters with Miss Curtis have led me to one conclusion; Miss Katherine Curtis is - to put it bluntly - bat shit crazy insane.

I know that doesn't sound very professional, but to be quite honest, she is possibly the scariest mentally ill person I have ever encountered. An Unprincipled Narcissist would be my professional diagnosis. She's a charlatan; a fraudulent, exploitative, deceptive, and unscrupulous individual.

_Soulless_ is another word that comes to mind when I am in her presence, and I truly pity any person who should have the misfortune to be on her '_bad side'._ It is because of her propensity for revenge against anyone who slights her in any way that I am feeling so nervous right now.

Today, I will be discussing my findings with her. While I believe she will need to stand trial, I feel that she will most likely be found _not guilty by reason of insanity_; that is, if the court takes my findings and testimony into consideration. Even so, she will need to remain in a secure environment to undergo long-term psychiatric care, and it is this likely outcome that will probably cause Miss Curtis to go _ballistic_ when I tell her the news.

_Knock Knock_

"Come in," I call out, and RN Rachel Black ushers a combative Miss Curtis into the office.

"Get your fucking hand off me, Nurse Ratched!"

"That's Nurse Rachel; not Ratched, thank you!" Rachel counters, and then smiles condescendingly. I swear if Rachel got a dollar for every time a patient thought they could insult her by calling her '_Nurse Ratched_' she'd be rich.

"Yeah, yeah… whatever… Nurse Rat-shit."

_Okay… that's a new one._

Rachel just scowls and points Miss Curtis in the direction of the chair in front of my desk. I note that Kate is wearing a red, knee-length, satin robe over what appears to be a hospital-issue patient gown.

I look over to Rachel who has taken a seat over by the door. "Rachel… I thought I asked you to ensure that Miss Curtis was properly attired?"

"Most of her clothes had urine on them from this morning's incident. This is the best we could do," she explains.

"I see." _Well at least that's better than yesterdays outfit. _"Okay, well, let's get started-"

"Doctor Boner… it's really warm in here," she interrupts, "I need to take this off…"

Before I can dissuade her from removing her robe, it has fallen off her shoulders into a satiny puddle on the floor, and Miss Curtis is indeed wearing a hospital issue gown - except that she's wearing it backwards and without any underwear.

_Jesus fucking Christ._

Could this day possibly get any worse?

* * *

**A/N 2 – Nemesis -** **In Greek mythology she was goddesses of divine injustice and retribution.**

**DSM-IV-TR - Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition – Text Revision. **

**Nurse Ratched (_One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest – 1965 Novel and 1975 Film_) - Named fifth worst movie villain, by the American Film Institute, Nurse Ratched is a cold, dictatorial nurse who controls a psych ward with an iron fist. **

**One more chapter left. **

**B-o-B xxx**


	10. Maniae

**A/N ****- This is the final Out-take for the story "Angel Of Corruption" written by Drowning in Chaos.**

**Stephenie Meyer and Summit … you know the spiel.**

**This chapter might get a little rough. I suggest you hold hands and stick with your safety buddy. Hopefully you won't get lost along the way.**

* * *

**Maniae**

Kate POV

After being escorted back to my room by Nurse Rat-Shit, I was informed that my clothes had finally been taken away for laundering. I won't be surprised if I get half of them back, ruined beyond repair. While I'm sure they won't be separating my darks from lights or my delicates from my designer jeans, pouring my own piss onto my clothes was a small price to pay to get the twin room all to myself.

_Yeah … Fuck you, Leah Clearwater!_

Once the drugs I've been slipping into my ex-roomie's morning coffee start wearing off, I'll probably have to start watching my back, but for now, mission accomplished.

Oh, now, now, come on! Don't you go acting all surprised? Did you really think that putting me in an institution would change me in any way? I'll fill you in on a little secret … I'll always get my own way because I'm smarter than most, if not all, of the people in this building. And when I say "smart", I mean genius.

Seriously, if I wanted to hang out with a bunch of computer programmers, physicists and math professors in the Prometheus Society, I, in fact, could. With an IQ of 175, I would be welcomed with open arms; but where is the fun in hanging out with a bunch of self important stuffed shirts? As Groucho Marx once said, "_I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members_." Plus, missing out by just one measly point on the Titan Test meant that I was ineligible to join the Mega Society, so personally, I didn't want to be a part of a society that would be regarded as the second best by 0.0001 percent of the population.

However, I've gone off on a tangent. The reason I am here in the first place is because that big dicked, foreign fucker, Demetri, couldn't follow simple orders. "Wear gloves," I'd told him. So what does the stupid idiot do? He wears a pair of fingerless gloves!

_Fuck me sideways._

When the cops dusted Bella's truck, they found his prints. And the only reason the cops had his prints on file in the first place was because he couldn't keep it in his pants. Apparently, he'd previously been charged with public indecency, because he'd once pulled out his cock in the middle of a crowded bar. He'd done it to prove a point to another guy about how he got the nickname '_Donkey Dick'. _

So once the police caught up with Demetri, he squealed like a fucking pig and told them I'd coerced him into cutting the brake lines of Bella's truck.

_I swear I need better minions._

So … while Demetri is now trying his best to make sure he doesn't drop the soap in the shower or sleep on his belly at the Monroe Correctional Complex, I'm here, living it up at Fairfax Hospital instead of the Washington Corrections Center for Women. I knew that once I started pulling that '_Goddess'_ crap during my trial, they'd all think I was crazy and send me to a mental institution instead.

I'm sitting on the side of the bed in front of the window. From the corner of my eye, I see that someone has draped an ugly grandma-style dress over the end of the bed. I think it belongs to Claire, and obviously they expect me to wear it until my own clothes come back.

_Not fucking likely. _

I don't even bother to hold the dress up against me. I can already tell that the dress is three sizes too big (just like that heifer Claire Ateara) and there is no way in Hell, I'm wearing anything pink with a pattern that resembles something one would probably see on a shower curtain in a two-star motel ... not that I've ever stayed in a two-star motel, but you get the general idea. I pick up the dress that smells strongly of 'eau de old woman' and wad it up in my hands.

_Good riddance to bad rubbish._

I toss the fugly dress over my shoulder, straight into the trash can.

_Nothing but net … and the crowd goes wild._

From my vantage point, I see Doctor Banner walking along the pathway toward the staff parking lot. It appears that Doctor John 'Randy' Gerandy is waiting by his car. I reach under the mattress and pull out the hidden iPhone that Mrs. Banner (also known as night shift Registered Nurse Banner) gave to me for just this purpose.

_Say hello to my little friend!_

Choosing the camera application, I slide my thumb across the screen and move closer to the window to take some video footage. They appear to be just talking for a minute or two, but then Randy and Boner quickly look around the parking lot before giving each other a quick kiss. As an added bonus, I'm pretty sure that Gerandy just gave Banner a boner, by stroking his hand over his groin right before they said goodbye and got into their respective cars … and I caught it all on video.

_Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go_

_I wanna be sedated_

_Nothing to do_

_Nowhere to go oh_

_I wanna be sedated_

_Just get me to the airport_

_And put me on a plane_

_Hurry hurry hurry before I go insane…_

_Speaking of minions … _

The phone is playing the ringtone I set for RN Banner, and the name '_Nursie'_ flashes on the screen.

"Hey! What are you calling me for? Shouldn't you be sleeping?" I snap into the phone.

"He just sent me a message. Says he's working back late because he's got a meeting with a few members of the organizing committee for the Forensic Psychiatry Conference. Personally, I think it's a load of bullshit. I know he's going to be with her. Did you see them? Did you get any pictures or video of them together? I swear to God if that slut Rachel Black is having an affair with my husband, I'm going to have my brother put a hit out on both of them."

_Interesting_.

"No, I haven't seen her with him," I say truthfully. "I told you … if I get any evidence, I'll let you know. Now don't call me again; it's too dangerous. Are you working tonight?"

"Yes, I'll see you later"

"Bring me something to drink, Nursie … preferably a bottle of Beluga Gold Line."

"What?" she says disbelievingly.

"Beluga Gold Line … It's Russian vodka-"

"I know what it is, Kate! I just don't think I can do that," she interrupts.

"You scratch my back and I scratch yours. That was the deal," I remind her. There is a long pause.

"Fine," she answers resignedly. "I'll see you later."

I hang up without saying goodbye and open the email application.

* * *

**From**: KC

**To**: forumkeeper

**Sent**: Fri, 2 July, 2010 17:26:06 PM

**Subject**: Knock knock

Today's key please.

**KC**

* * *

**From**: forumkeeper

**To**: KC

**Sent**: Fri, 2 July, 2010 17:29:37 PM

**Subject**: Re: Knock knock

1

11

21

1211

111221

312211

13112221

1113213211

**?**

**FK**

* * *

Opening the browser application I type in the full address for the forum. It's nothing you could ever Google. The generic forum login screen appears and the cursor blinks in the first box.

**User Name =**

**Key =**

I enter "**KC**" and "**31131211131221**" into their respective boxes and the screen loads, revealing the forum message board. I can see four other players online in the chat window and within a few seconds, greeting messages bombard the screen.

_**RB**__ - Well look who it is! Long time, no see KC._

_**EY**__ - How the fuck are you KC? Saw you made the papers. Naughty girl! ;) You lose points for media exposure._

_**JEB**__ - Looks like you might be out of the running this time KC. The prize is mine. I'm in the lead now!_

_**RB**__ - Yes! 100 points off for media appearance! You looked hot. By the way, KC… the orange jumpsuit was definitely not the best color on you!_

_**LM**__ - Hey KC? How are you going to get out of your current dilemma? Do you want to continue the game or retire?_

_**JEB**__ - Retire! Retire! LOL :P_

I let out a small laugh, and I type in my response.

_**KC**__**- Suck my dick, JEB. You know I already have a plan, and I've been busy. The 10 million will be mine by the end of the year and then RB, LM and EY will get naked and sexy, and roll around in the winnings with me to help me celebrate whipping your ass! :P **_

_**RB**__ - Hell. YES! LOL_

_**EY**__ - LOL_

_**JEB**__ - Bitch!_

_**LM**__ - I'll be in that! Good to hear you aren't giving up. I look forward to seeing how you do it._

_**KC**__**- I've played the psych card, and I have an ally on the inside now. Gotta love a woman scorned! Just you wait and see. I'll be out before you can even miss me. So what have you all been up to lately?**_

_**RB**__- Grand theft auto (Ferrari F430) drove it into a pool. Scored 100 points._

_**JEB**__ - Insider trading. I made myself a million. Just enough not to get noticed. ;) Scored 180._

_**LM**__ - Got a certain celeb coked up and with a hooker less than 24 hours after leaving the rehab center. I filmed it all and sent it to Gossip Cop and Perez. Celeb is now doing rehab in home.150 points._

_**EY**__ - Hacked a financial institution, transferred the funds to an account in the Bahamas and got the CEO arrested for embezzling. Double score for 200! So what have you done lately KC? We haven't had an update from you for about 6 weeks._

_**KC - Read 'em and weep!**_

_**I got 4 people suspended from their jobs (confirmed - await news of permanent career damage). **_

_**Ruined relationships (x2 confirmed, x1 pending result). **_

_**I coerced another to commit a crime - x1 **_

_**I turned a straight girl gay - x1. **_

_**I got pulled over for speeding 50 miles over the limit and gave a cop a bj = no ticket. **_

_**Degree by defraud (on hiatus) :(**_

_**Total of 640 points, less 100 for media exposure = 540 (confirmed) or 700 (unconfirmed).**_

_**RB**__ - Fuck me! You have been busy!_

_**KC**__**- I'd fuck you any time RB. LOL ;)**_

_**JEB**__ - Shit. That puts you ahead. Bitch! Just remember if your conviction sticks you are out of the game._

_**KC**__ - __**Oh yea of little faith JEB. I'll have my 'Get out of jail free card' soon. Anyway gotta sign off. I've got a few **_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.  
**_

"Kate … you need to wake up." Someone is shaking me by the shoulder and calling my name.

_Huh? _

I blink and wonder where the iPhone I was using just went.

_It was in my hand a second ago?_

I look at the bed, and then I scan the floor to see if I dropped it somewhere. I slide off the bed and lift the mattress. I search around on hands and knees and look under the bed ... nothing.

_How could a phone just disappear into thin air?_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

_**.**_

"Wake up. Wake up now."

"Fuck you! Oh God," I rasp. "My throat is drier than a nun's twat."

_What the fuck is going on?_

"Kate, wake up. Open your eyes for me," the voice demands. I try to open them, but they seem too heavy, and everything is out of focus. I feel someone forcefully lifting my eyelids, and they're shining a small flashlight directly into my pupils. I try to lift my hands to shield my face, but for some reason they won't move. I start shaking my head from side to side.

"Get that light out of my eyes. I've got a fucking hangover for Christ's sake! Where is my bottle of Beluga?" I need hair of the dog.

"That's not a hangover, dear. It's the Haldol. You've been unconscious for seven hours," the voice explains.

"Haldol?" I try to sit up, but can't seem to lift my shoulders off the bed; something is holding my chest to the mattress.

"Yes, it's an anti-psychotic drug. Doctor Biers injected you with it when you were trying to choke Doctor Banner with the sash of your satin robe. You obviously didn't like what he had to say during your appointment, and you attacked him. The emergency restraint team was called in, and you had to be chemically restrained for your own safety."

My vision starts to clear slightly, and I realize it's RN Lauren Mallory, who is my flashlight torturer. I take a look around me. The room is dimly lit by a ceramic bedside lamp situated on the small set of drawers next to the bed. I'm in my hospital room … in bed.

_What the fuck?_

"What time is it? How did I end up back here in my room, and why can't I move my arms and sit up?"

"You are restrained and it's almost midnight. According to Rachel's hand over, once the Haldol took effect you were rolled onto a sheet and the members of the restraint team blanket carried you to your bed. You have been asleep the whole time, and we've been constantly monitoring you."

I look down and note that there are dirty, white fabric cuffs around my wrists. They are tied to the bed rails. I bend at the elbows to test the limits of my restraints and try to shimmy down the bed to see if I can reach the knots, but I'm stopped by a fabric restraint that is running across my chest. It is starting to cut in under my arm pits. I try to kick my feet, but discover that they too are restrained by a pair of fabric cuffs. Realizing it's useless, I give up my pathetic struggle. I'm not impressed that this is the second time in the last two months that I've been tied up, and neither situation was remotely sexy.

"When can I get the cuffs off?" I ask.

"Doctor Biers will review your restraint order in the morning. Until then, I will be here to monitor you regularly throughout the night."

"Where is Nurse Banner tonight?"

"Who?" Lauren looks confused.

"Nurse Banner. You know, night nurse … er … Banner. I don't know her first name, but she's married to Doctor Banner. She's supposed to be working tonight."

"Kate, there is no Nurse Banner, and although I shouldn't discuss the personal lives of other staff, Doctor Banner's wife isn't a nurse. She's a Veterinarian.

"Okay, well what about his relationship with Doctor Gerandy? Does his wife know about that?"

Lauren looks at me sadly. "There's no Doctor with the surname '_Gerandy'_ on staff here either. Kate, I think you might have been dreaming. Haldol can produce some really vivid dreams. It's a known side effect."

Suddenly, I feel as though I can't breathe.

_What the hell is going on and where the fuck am I, really? __Is this reality or am I dreaming now … did I just dream everything else?_

Nurse Banner and Doctor Gerandy don't really exist.

_What about the forum … is the game real or not?_

Tears start to prick at my eyes at the sudden realization that I'm not in control any more.

_Why did I do all of those awful things if not for a game … a prize? _

I try to swallow hard to keep the tears from spilling. My throat aches from the effort, and it's still so dry. "Would it be possible to sit up and get something to drink? I'm so thirsty."

"Yeah, sure," Lauren replies. She loosens the restraint that is tied over my chest, and pushes a button on a panel on the side of the bed. She raises the head end, so I am in a semi-reclined position. She then refastens the chest restraint.

"Is that one really necessary?" I complain, "I mean my hands and feet are cuffed. I'm not going anywhere."

"Sorry, Doctor's orders," she says by way of apology, and then positions a straw at my lips. "Doctor Biers also wants you to take this," she says and picks up a small transparent medication cup that contains a little blue pill.

"What is it?"

"It's Haldol, but in tablet form this time."

"Do I have to?" I whine.

"We can do it the easy way, or the hard way, Kate. Either you take the pill, or you get another injection. It's your choice … I get paid either way." She shrugs nonchalantly.

_I don't want to take the blue pill. I don't want to end up lost in dream oblivion again … I want to take the red pill. I want to wake up!_

Reluctantly, I allow Lauren to tip the tablet onto my tongue, and I take huge pulls of water through the straw until the cup is empty. "More," I pant. Lauren refills my cup with the remaining water from a plastic jug, and I drain it again. After finishing my drink, I look around and notice that we are not alone in the room. There is a blonde woman asleep in the next bed. Her back is turned away from us, but I can tell that it's not Claire. "Who's that?" I ask and give a sideways head tilt to indicate I'm talking about my new roommate.

"Oh, that's Jane. She was admitted this afternoon."

"What's she in for?"

"Major depression after the death of her husband. Poor thing." My stomach then chooses to let out an almighty growl that is audible to both Lauren and me. "Are you hungry? You slept right through dinner."

"Yeah, I am," I concede.

"The kitchen staff kept your dinner aside in case you woke up. It's in the refrigerator. Would you like me to heat it up for you? It's probably best to eat something now before the Haldol starts kicking in again."

"That would be great. Could I get another drink too?"

"Sure, no problem. I'll be back in a few minutes." Lauren turns and leaves the room, and I rest my head back into the pillow and close my eyes.

I hear a shuffling noise coming from the direction of my new neighbor, and I open my eyes to see her sitting on the edge of her bed. She is staring at me with a look of curiosity on her face.

"Hey," I offer in way of a greeting, but she says nothing in return. She just continues to stare at me from the shadows that are being cast by the privacy curtain that is partially shielding her from the direct glow of the lamp. I get an uncomfortable feeling in the base of my skull; there is something disturbing about her, and I can't pinpoint what it is. She stands and walks closer and comes into full view. There is something vaguely familiar about her. She walks to the side of my bed, braces her hands against the bed rail and leans her face in close to mine.

"Hello, Kate," she sneers.

"Uh … Hello," I answer, feeling awkward because her face is invading my personal space.

"I'm so glad we finally get to meet in person."

_Okay lady, you are a complete nut job and you need to get out of my face! _

"What do you mean? Do we know each other?" I try to pull my face away as far as I can so I can get a good look at her, but the damn chest restraint won't let me move very far.

"We had a mutual acquaintance." She turns away from me and heads for the door. I hope that she is leaving the room, but she reaches for the door handle and closes the door. It's when she grabs a chair and props it under the handle that I feel the panic start to set in. She turns on the light switch, and the whole room is illuminated by the harsh fluorescent lighting above our beds.

"Wh … what are you doing?" I stutter.

She walks back to my bedside and then reaches down for something. Standing back upright I notice that she just took off her socks and is now holding them in her hand. Suddenly, I feel her hand on my face, squeezing my cheeks roughly, so I can't close my lips.

"Let me properly introduce myself … Hello. My name is Jane; Jane Varner. I'm very pleased to meet you. I think you knew my husband … Henry."

_Oh. Fuck._

I try to protest, but Jane stuffs one of the socks into my mouth. I try to scream, but the sound is muffled. She stuffs half of the second sock into my mouth, and I feel like I am going to choke as the material hits the back of my throat. Any moisture that was in my mouth has been absorbed by the foul tasting socks. I try to take slow, deep breaths in and out of my nose, but the pace is out of control, and I'm hyperventilating and feeling light-headed. I try to pull against my restraints in my state of panic, but it's to no avail. I can feel the effects of the Haldol beginning to take over, but I try to fight the fatigue.

_Where the fuck is Lauren?_

Jane unplugs the small ceramic lamp and holds it in her hands. She looks at it briefly in contemplation. With a sudden look of feral rage in her eyes and an animalistic grunt, she raises the lamp in one hand and smashes it down on my face. I feel the pieces of the shattered lamp slice into my skin. I let out a scream, but it only comes out as a pathetic, muffled sound. There must be a deep cut somewhere above my eyes. The pain is searing and great gouts of blood are descending down my face like a crimson veil. I can feel myself starting to pass out, but Jane slaps my face, stopping my escape from the nightmare.

She then climbs onto my bed and straddles my body. She rips the bloodied pillow from behind my head and stares into my eyes. I become aware of her intentions and try to buck her off my body, but her weight and the restraints make it impossible. I hear the door handle rattle and then yelling and a thumping sound from behind the door. I pray that whoever it is on the other side can break through in time to save me.

As the pillow descends to my face, the last words I hear are …

"I hope you burn in Hell, you fucking whore!"

* * *

**A/N 2 Maniae - In Greek mythology, the Maniae (singular: Mania) were a spirit or group of spirits personifying insanity, madness and crazed frenzy.**

**Prometheus Society and Mega Society - Elite ultra High IQ Societies. Members of the Mega Society are those with percentiles of 99.9999 or 1 in a million.**

**Nursie's ringtone was 'I Wanna Be Sedated' by The Ramones.  
**

**So this is it... the final out-take, but Drowning in Chaos will continue with her part of the story from Bella and Edward's POV once she reposts the story.**

**Many thanks to Chaz for everything. You let me barge into your story and mix it up, and then you encouraged me to write. Never in a million years did I ever think I could write anything fictional. It's been a lot of fun.**

**A big thank you to everyone who took the time to read, favorite, alert this story, and especially to those of you who left me a review. You have no idea how much your words have encouraged me. For those of you who haven't left me a review yet, I'd really, really love to know who's been reading this. If you don't want to write a review, just leave me a smiley so I can see who you are. *begs***

**I have a new solo story in mind, but no ETA for now as I want to write a few chapters before I start posting, plus I have some beta work to do.**

**Until next time,**

**B-o-B xxx**

***Bows and curtsies***

**Go ahead ... make my day and click**

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